To break the cycle
by marinenerd01
Summary: The story of Zuko's and Azula's brother as he seeks to break the avatar cycle.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender but I do own Zokar. This first chapter will be mostly backstory and the dialog will begin in the next chapter.**

Zokar was the second child of Prince Ozai and Ursa. He was born eleven months after the birth of his older brother Zuko, the whisperers said it was because the prince was disappointed in what he saw as weak talent in Zuko and wished to have a child whose firebending abilities equaled his own. If he desired that then was destined to again be disappointed. When Zokar was born those in attendance remarked that the child was unusually large for a newborn, an indication they said of great future strength. But when the child was presented to the fire sages they made a terrible pronouncement; the child was not a bender. The news shocked both the family and the nation. The royal line was descended of Agni, their bending was proof of his favor and their divine right to rule, and so what were they to make of a child who could not bend?

Ozai was furious; the child was a failure and an embarrassment. He now had twice as many children as his brother but of the two one was weak and the other was the first none-bender in the history of the royal line. He hated the child for not being a bender; both because it embarrassed him in front of his father and because it weakened his chances of appearing a better choice for the throne than his brother. While his fears were partially allayed by the birth of Azula he never warmed to the boy.

Zokar was a quiet child keeping mostly to himself. To the disgust of his father he showed an intense interest in books. As soon as he could read, which he learned to do months ahead of Zuko, he spent his days in the royal library. He could be found there almost anytime he wasn't with his tutors. It was his refuge from the rest of the world, and from his family.

His father continued to view him as a failure. If anything, his son's interest in books rather than war or politics made things even worse between them. The boy was not even useful as a means to secure a political advantageous marriage. The child was known to be a non-bender and to be despised by both his father and grandfather because of it, any family approached would see the proposal as an insult. If anything Ozai's hatred for the boy grew with the passage of time.

Ursa's relationship was more complex. It could be said by an outside observer that she neither hated nor loved the boy. Unlike Ozai, she did not see his lack of bending ability as a weakness, and she was proud of his early mastery of reading. But he also made her uneasy. Outwardly he was a calm, almost emotionless, child. He never responded to the scorn of his father nor the insults hurled at him by his siblings, he seemed to not even hear them. But his mother knew different; she saw the pain deep in his eyes, and then she saw that pain turn to rage. It was not the wild rage of Ozai and Azula, it was the patient, cold rage that bided its time but when it came it destroyed all in its path, in a way that scared her more than Azula's obvious cruelty. Ursa tried but she was never able to connect with her son.

Azula was perplexed by Zokar, on the one hand he was not a bender, and father always said that made him less than her. This, combined with her natural cruelty, led her to torment him on an almost daily basis. It was she who gave him the nickname 'Ash'. It suited him, she said, because it was like him: without fire, cold and dead. However, he never seemed to respond to any of her jabs. Even stranger was what she saw of his relationship with their parents. He did not seem close to either their father, as she was; or to their mother like Zuko. Unlike his siblings, who both tried to win the affection of the parent they were not close to, Zokar seemed indifferent to his lack of relationship with them. Azula could not understand him and was conflicted about her feelings for him. She really did think of him as inferior to her; and even to Zuko, who could at least bend. On the other hand, when she saw how he seemed unaffected by the opinions of others she, who lived for it, was nonplused and even a little envious.

Zuko was also conflicted regarding his younger brother. He felt sorry for Zokar and the scorn and insults that he endured; but he had to admit that it felt kind of good when his father said that Zuko was at least better than Zokar, or when Azula teased Zokar instead of him. Also, he feared Zokar and his cold detached attitude. Zuko also resented the way his brother always made him feel like he was the younger one of the two. So he would on occasion join Azula in her tormenting of him.

Iroh gave little thought to Zokar when he was younger; the child was so quiet it was easy to overlook him at times. Later, when he looked at the boy with the eyes of a grieving father, he saw something else. He saw a child that could grow into a monster just like Azula; worse in a way; because while she was crazy he was perfectly sane and all the more dangerous because of it.

Of all the experiences in the first twelve years of his life two stood out as having the greatest impact on his future actions. The first occurred shortly before his mother's disappearances. A servant was discovered to be an Earth Kingdom spy. The man was dragged before the Fire Lord who burned to the man to death personally. Ozai had insisted that the children come and watch the execution, over ruling Ursa's protests. Azula looked on with savage glee, enchanted by the violence and the savage display of firebending. Zuko was horrified by the event and had nightmares for weeks, much to his father's disgust and Azula's amusement. Zokar was as silent as usual, and whatever he thought, he kept to himself.

The second event occurred the next day. While he was walking to the library Azula saw him and saw the look of deep thought on his face. She asked him if he was thinking of what they had seen and if he was envious of seeing something he could never do himself, while reminding him that she was a prodigy which was why father loved her and not him. He never said a word; he just stared at her for moment then lunged. Azula shot a fire ball at him but, while indeed a prodigy, her bending was not yet as strong as would one day be. The fire hit him but barely seemed to singe him. His hand shot out and wrapped around her throat, while at the same time pinning her to a pillar. As she felt the effects of oxygen deprivation she struggled in his grasp but it was no use. She had never realized just how strong he was. All the while he stared at her never saying a word, just staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Just as she was about to lose consciousness he released her. As she slumped to the ground he continued his walk to the library never saying a word or looking back. That afternoon after lunch he went to the guards and asked for a sword.

**Author's Notes: Well there is the first chapter. I think it was a little forced in places but please bear with me. For this character I drew inspiration in part from several stories I have read including: In the Mad House by Ciceronis, which I highly recommend, Game of thrones by G.R.R Martin. Please leave review and keep following and may Jesus bless you.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: I still don't own anything.**

"You sent for me my lord?" Zokar asked as he knelt before his father Fire Lord Ozai. His father said nothing at first, just stared at his son. Finally he spoke, his voice flat and emotionless.

"Yes, my son. I have been giving much thought to you recently and what role you are to play in the Fire Nation's war effort. Since the death of your cousin Lu Ten and your uncle Iroh's desertion of the war the royal family has had no presence on the battlefield; this has led to a certain amount of discontent among the ranks. Your brother has been dispatched on his hunt for the avatar, and your sister is not ready for such activities. While you, despite your lack of fire, I believe are ready. My guards report your dedication to weapons training and I am convinced that your presence is just what the troops need. You depart in two days for the colonies. Our spies report that the Earth Kingdom is preparing for an assault on the city of New Sozin. The loose of the city named for your ancestor would be intolerable insult. You will assist General Kang in assuring that does not happen."

"I shall go and make my preparations at once. I shall not fail you my lord." So saying Zokar rose to feet, turned and departed. As he walked to his quarters he thought about what his father had said and what he had really meant. 'So father', he thought as he entered his rooms, 'You send me to my death.' As he packed those of his belongings that he thought he would need he heard the sound of someone entering his quarters. His father never came here and a servant would have knocked before entering. It could only be one person. "Hello Azula, come to bid me farewell?"

"Why brother, whatever do you mean?" She asked in a falsely sweet voice. Though she sounded unconcerned, and even condescending she was careful to maintain her distance. She had never forgotten the shock and fear of the time he had seized her. It was not helped by the fact he had lived up to the promise of his birth. Even though he was only twelve he already stood as tall as most adults and was already showing considerable muscle development.

"I saw the bulge in the curtains; I knew that you were behind them." Zokar said as he continued to pack, still not turning to look at her.

"Huh, and here I thought I was being careful, well live and learn. So Father finally got tired of you and decided to send you away so you can't embarrass him anymore." She chirped with false cheeriness.

Zokar snorted and smiled a mirthless smile. "Really, my dear sister, you lack imagination."

"What do you mean?" She asked in an annoyed tone of voice. She hated it when he gave the impression that he knew more than she did.

"Oh Father is indeed trying to get rid of me, but he is trying for a more permanent manner. Think sister, sending a twelve year old boy into battle. The only way that could improve the troops moral is if it gave them all a good laugh. No, our father intends for me to go to war and not return."

Azula was silent for a moment as she processed this. She was not sure what to think of Zokar dying, she felt little affection for him so she did not feel any great sadness at the thought of him dying. But at the same time his silent presence had always given her a sense of permanence and, in a way security, which she found she would miss. She tried to hide these thoughts under a smart remark but found she could not think of any. Then a thought struck her. "Wait a minute, you know this and are going anyway? That's crazy!"

He shrugged, "It is my duty." He said simply.

She stared at him for a moment. She could not think of anything to say. Finally she managed to sputter out, "Fine! Go and die see if I care! In fact, I am glad you're going to die! You were always useless anyway!" With that she turned and stormed out.

Zokar never turned during the tirade and gave no indication that it had had any effect on him. But inside he too was conflicted. Why was he going? To die for a lord who despised him? As he thought on this he found he knew the answer. In truth he found that, while he did not actively seek death, he for the most part did not care if he lived or not; and he really did feel a sense duty to his nation. He had lived a life of comfort provided by the work and taxes of the people that was their duty to him as a member of the royal family. It was his duty to ensure they were protected from danger in whatever form they took. If the coming assault came and they failed to stop it he would have failed in that duty. He had his doubts, many in fact, about things his nation had done and the justifications given in the history books; but he also knew that the people in the colonies were not to blame for those choices, but they would be the ones punished for them if the enemy broke through.

There was another, more selfish reason, for his going. All his life he had lived in the shadows of others. Mainly these had been of his family. His father was Fire Lord and if he succeeded in his goals he would be forever remembered as the one who brought the long war to an end in Fire Nation victory. Zuko, if he fulfilled his quest would be the one who defeated the avatar, ensuring his place in history. Azula was a prodigy who might very well become the first female Fire Lord. Even if she did not he was certain she would do great, or at least terrible, things and ensure her place in history. Whereas he, without fire, had been pushed to the corner his whole life to rot in obscurity; an embarrassment kept out of sight and mind. As he thought about it he found that he wanted to go, even if it meant his death. Because that was what he wanted. A moment, just a moment, that was his and no one else's. If he had nothing he felt like living for he would have something he felt like dying for.

**Author's Notes: Well here is another chapter done. Not entirely pleased with the first part but happier about the second part. As always please review, but please hold off on the flames. Bye and may Jesus bless you all.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: Still don't anything but my guy.**

Zokar walked down toward the docks to board the ship that would take him to the colonies; behind him walked a middle aged man with thinning gray hair and a moustache and goatee. His name was Woo and he was a senior servant at the palace tasked to go with Zokar and see to his needs on campaign. Woo was not thrilled with this assignment. Like most of the palace servants he was uneasy around Zokar. The boy was always calm and polite, in an aloof and detached way, unlike his sister, who was often cruel and given to fits of temper. Still, Woo and many others found his calmness unnatural and his blank emotionless stare unnerving and were nervous around him.

Zokar and Woo walked up the gangplank and boarded the battleship that would take him to New Sozin. Awaiting him on the bridge were the ship's captain and General Wozen, the commanding officer of the soldiers on the ship and the rest of the convoy being sent to reinforce General Kang. As one the two men bowed and greeted him; as he returned their greetings he studied the two men and gaged their moods. The captain was obviously nervous with having two men who outranked him and could interfere with his running the ship and negatively impact his career if they so chose.

General Wozen was another matter entirely. He barely displayed the required amount of respect for Zokar and obviously did not want him there. He had the look of a hardened professional who had been soldiering his whole life. He obviously had no use for a boy getting under foot on the battlefield and was making little effort to hide the fact, prince or no. Woo saw this as well and while he did not particularly like either his current situation or Prince Zokar, he had been a servant of the royal family all his life and he was scandalized by the general's attitude. He was about to say something when he saw Zokar make a gesture for him to remain silent. After the appropriate words were exchanged, including the customary invitation to dine with the captain and the general as well as their senior officers, and the equally customary gracious acceptance on Zokar's part, he and Woo left the bridge and went to the quarters assigned to them.

As Woo set about getting things properly arranged Zokar looked at him with his usual humorless smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "You do not like the general do you?" Woo stuttered, for a moment speechless, other than to give instructions the prince rarely spoke to the servants and it flew in the face of propriety for him, a mere servant, to speak ill of someone so much higher socially than himself. Seeing Woo's consternation Zokar's smile broadened, causing Woo to shudder. "Oh, never mind, you are quite right to say nothing, still I thank you for being outraged on my behalf. Though truth to tell, I am not very surprised by his attitude. In fact, I am not surprised at all. Oh he is right in away, a boy of twelve has no place on the battlefield, and he probably thinks that I shall pull rank on him, or demand special privileges and all in all be a royal nuisance. He does little to hide it because he knows I do not have father's favor and he can get away with it. I wonder if he know?" Woo did not know what the prince was talking about and did not want to. Zokar had obviously been talking to himself when he had asked the question and his smile had turned into a macabre smirk as he had asked it. It made Woo shudder and be very grateful when Zokar had left to dine with the officers.

The voyage passed uneventfully. Zokar for the most part spent his days in his cabin, either reading or exercising, or on deck practicing with his sword. At times he would approach the soldiers and ask about their experiences fighting earth kingdom soldiers and techniques they used to counter earthbending. He cut men off when they turned to bragging, or when they tried to dismiss earthbending as being inferior to firebending, he wanted facts he told them not propaganda. He confused the soldiers and sailors, at first they all that it a joke to see a twelve year old boy in armor and mocked what they saw as a glory hungry prince going to war as if it were a holiday. But as time passed his distant and driven demeanor combined with his relentless inquiries about tactics caused the jokes to dry up and the men to comment among themselves that they were glad that they were not the ones going to face the prince.

General Wozen's attitude as well underwent a change. Zokar had been quite right in diagnosing the general's thoughts. Wozen did resent having a prince thrust upon him and General Kang, royals in Wozen's opinion should stay in the Fire Nation and make policy, and leave it to the military to carry out those policies. He had no patience for aristocrats who came to play soldier and then went home when it bored them or it got rough. But as time progressed he began to see that whatever else he may be Prince Zokar was not a spoiled aristocrat. He watched the prince at practice and as he sought knowledge from the soldiers. He thought the boy a natural soldier who had the potential to be a great general one day.

The captain was somewhat more at ease than he had been. The prince made him uneasy, as he did almost everyone else on the ship, but Zokar had not made any difficulties and had refrained from interfering in the running of the ship for which the captain was grateful. He had been questioned by the prince on navel tactics and he had found the royal attention, as well as have the potential for future promotion.

At the end of the voyage Zokar and the rest disembarked at New Sozin. Leaving Woo to see to the unloading of his luggage he and Wozen preceded to General Kang's headquarters. Kang was in his office studying a map and placing markers on it. He was a tall man, trim but with the beginnings of a gut. He looked at Zokar and kept his face blank. He had read the orders that he had received from the Fire Lord very carefully and he had a very good idea about exactly why Ozai had sent his son. He did not like it but knew better than to question the Fire Lords decrees.

"Greetings Prince Zokar, we are honored with the presence of a member of the royal line." Zokar acknowledged the general's bow and greeting.

"You honor me with your welcome general."

Turning to Wozen Kang allowed a genuine smile to come to his face. "Wozen, I see you managed to not fall overboard this time."

"I maintain that I was pushed by a jealous rival, or perhaps a waterbender assassin!" Wozen said with a laugh.

Kang was about to reply to that when noticed Zokar standing there unmoving, his face expressionless. Remembering himself Kang quickly collected himself and began to address them both in a strict, professional manner. "In any event, your arrival is timely. The enemy advance force, we estimate it to be about a third of the attacking army, has established themselves two days march from the city." He motioned them to come closer and examine the map. It was a map of the city and the surrounding country. On the map were numerous little green and red pyramids made of painted wood. The red ones were mostly placed on the city with a few in the outside it. The green where mostly in two groups one, the smaller group, was place near the city across from a river; the larger group was place father north from the city.

"As you can see," Said Kang taking up a long thin wooden rod and using it as a pointer to indicate the smaller green group "Here is where their advance for is located. According to Colonel Mongke they have constructed defenses around their camp, but due to this being only a temporary position are not overly formidable."

Wozen snorted derisively, "Colonel Mongke! In my opinion the man doesn't deserve the rank. Neither do any of his rabble. I for one would be quite skeptical of anything that lot told me."

Zokar arched an eyebrow and looked inquiringly at the two men. Kang signed, "Colonel Mongke is the commander of an elite force known as the Rough Rhinos. They often operate as an independent strike force an answer only to your father, this leads to some resentment in the rest of the army."

"Independent strike force," Muttered Wozen under his breath, "Little more than glorified bandits if you ask me."

"Regardless of the source;" Said Kang, in a tone of voice that showed he was trying to get the conversation back on topic, "We cannot afford to wait, so we must act now and hope the information is accurate. Now as I was saying the defenses there are not overly formidable; if we strike now we can destroy their advance force before the main forces arrives. Alone neither has the strength to take this city."

Zokar, who had been studying the map, looked up and asked, "Why did they camp there when they could have come and used earthbending to establish fortifications around the city?"

"Because my Prince;" Answered Wozen, "Kang could have launched a sally and inflicted heavy losses on them making a siege untenable, whereas where they are is safe from any attack that Kang could have mount on his own."

"Quite right;" Said Kang, "If things had gone as planned their forces would have linked up by now and they would have been at the walls now. Unfortunately for them, unseasonably heavy rains have turned the area they are marching through into a bog which has delayed them. Also," He added with a wolfish grin, "They don't know you lot are here, they still think all they are dealing with is the garrison and enjoy the advantage of numbers. Well gentleman, that is the basic outline of the plan, we will go into more detail on the way there. For tonight I suggest early to bed we march tomorrow before dawn."

**Author's Notes: Well another chapter down I hope you liked it. If you are new to my story welcome, if you have been following thanks and please reread chapters 1-2 I went back and redid them a little. Will try to update soon for now goodbye and I ask you all to please pray for the victims of the attacks in Boston, may Jesus bless you all.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: I still don't own anything.**

The march proved to be as uneventful as the voyage; the army's scouts and outriders ranged ahead and on the flanks, guarding against enemy scouts, and Zokar did not see a single enemy soldier the entire march. The arrived at the designated camp site; situated near the river Kang had showed them on the map, a few hours after noon on the second day of the march. Zokar watched with approval as the troops immediately upon receiving the order to break ranks began setting up camp; some erecting tents in neat rows while others unloaded the wooden poles that would be used to erect the palisade around the camp.

"Pardon me, my lord." Turning his head toward the voice he saw Lieutenant Lee, one of the junior officers on General Kang's staff approaching. After the man gave the required bow Zokar gestured for the man to speak. "General Kang has called a meeting in his tent of the senior officers; he humbly requests your presence."

"Very well." Said Zokar as he dismounted his mongoose-dragon and handed the reins to Woo. "Find out where they have set up my tent and have tea ready when I come." With that he turned back to Lee and indicated for him to lead on.

Kang's tent was situated in the middle of the camp on a small rise that would allow him to observe any part of the camp. The guards at the entrance parted the tent flaps to allow them entry. The interior was spacious and well-lit. Kang was present as was Wozen and four other men. Only Kang was standing; the others were all sitting on cushions surrounding a map laid out on the floor in the middle of the room while servants waited in the background with tea and other refreshments. At his entrance Kang bowed and the others lowered their heads. As he acknowledged the gestures and sat on the last empty seat at the end of the map he studied the other men present. One was a muscular individual with rings in his nose and both ears and had a feather in his topknot. Next to him sat a short slight man who had dark skin and sharp looking eyes and bore the distinct tattoos of a Yuyan archer. Across from the archer was a middle age looking officer who had a broad peasant face and whose scared and calloused hand spoke of a life time of manual labor. The fourth man looked like another professional officer and whose uniform, though at the moment his helm was absent, marked him as one of the royal firebenders who had accompanied him from the Fire Nation.

"Exhalent;" Said Kang as Zokar took his seat, "Now that we are all present we can go over the final plans for the attack. As you can see;" He said using his pointer to indicate the map which was a scaled in version of the one that he had shown Zokar and Wozen back in the city, "Their camp is right next to where the river is at its narrowest, doubtless this was to facilitate their crossing when the rest of them arrived. Now, however, it will facilitate our crossing. My plan is this; as we speak the men are unloading the catapults and trebuchets, by nightfall they will have been reassembled and be ready for action. Our attack will begin an hour after sundown; the enemy will never expect us to attack when our bending is at its weakest and will be taken off guard. In addition to the war machines Major Gung;" Here he nodded to the officer with the peasant features, "And his fellow engineers prepared barrels of blasting jelly to be equipped with timed fuses once we have the range down. These will be used to blast a gap in the wall to enable us entry."

" Colonel Mongke;" Here he turned to the ringed man, "You will take your Rough Rhinos and the rest of the mounted troops and form a wide circle to around their camp to ensure none of them slip away and provide an early warning in case the main enemy force has sent its own riders ahead."

"Tao;" Here he looked to the archer; "You and your men shall provide covering fire for our main force as it crosses the river. The river is only about fifty yards across so it is well within your range, but their fort will be at a higher elevation than you so the will have that impediment."

"Perhaps it would be to archers of inferior quality, not to ours." Said Tao in a low quiet voice; a smirk forming on his lips.

"Quite, forgive me I pray." Said Kang with an amused smile.

"But general, there are signs that there will be rain tonight." Interjected the royal firebender, Captain Fang if Zokar recalled. "This combined with the absence of the sun will render our bending nearly useless."

"I know;" Said Kang with a sigh, "But it cannot be helped. The very rain that hinders our bending is also the only thing keeping the enemy from linking up. We must strike while it holds. It will hinder us benders it is true but it will also put the enemy further at ease. We will just have to trust the non-bending troops to pick up the slack."

"All this talk is all well and good but you're leaving something out." Interjected Mongke, "As soon as you knock down the wall the eathies will just put it back up if you don't anyone there to stop them, so who is it, what unlucky bugger is stuck leading the Forlorn Hope."

There was silence in the group as the man's words sank in. The Forlorn Hope, the name given to the troops detailed to go in ahead of the main force and seize the gap made and hold it until help arrived. It rarely succeed and even when it did casualties were high, but it had to be tried for if a place was not taken by storm then an army was forced into a lengthy siege, which they could not do here due to the second approaching enemy force. Kang looked uncomfortable at this turn in the discussion; he had obviously been putting this topic off for as long as possible which was understandable, he was effectively signing the death warrant of whomever he assigned to the force, even more here than usual as they would be without the support of firebenders.

"In the last communication I received from the Fire Lord I received very clear instructions on this matter." Kang spoke slowly and reluctantly, as if each word was being dragged from him. "It is his wish that the Forlorn Hope be led by his son, Prince Zokar."

There followed a moment of stunned silence. Then everyone turned to look at the young prince in question. Zokar returned their glances without comment. In truth he was not surprised at the announcement. It was as he had told Azula before his departure; their father had sent him here to die. Well, it seemed his father was going to get his wish, and in quite a dramatic manner too.

"There must be some mistake." Said Wozen at last; in a bewildered tone of voice, which matched the expression on his face.

Mongke laughed sarcastically, "No mistake old man; the Fire Lord is pruning the family tree of the dead wood again."

This earned him looks of shocked disapproval from Wozen and Gung, which Mongke pointedly ignored. Tao kept his face impassive, obviously determined to stay out of royal family politics. Fang said nothing; but the smirk he gave Zokar spoke volumes; the royal guard mimicked his father with regards to Zokar's, who could never become Fire Lord, value and those assigned to guard him back home had made no effort to hide their resentment at what they saw as a lesser assignment; especially compared to guarding Azula, who as the most likely candidate to become the next Fire Lord, they all wished to cultivate for their own advancement.

At length Zokar spoke, "I see, General Kang, if you would be so good as to explain my task to me." This was said in his usual flat voice and the others looked at him again; surprised to hear and see such calmness from a twelve year-old boy who had just had his death sentence pronounced. Doubtless they expected him to be stunned or terrified, but he was neither. They looked at him with slightly unnerved and suspicious looks; he was used to the unnerved part, he found most people looked at him like that. As for the suspicion part; they probably thought that he could not, or would not, accept that he had been condemned to death by his own father.

Kang finally shook himself and brought the meeting back to the matter at hand. "Yes, of course. As I was saying Prince Zokar, with a force of one hundred men will cross the river at the start of our bombardment. Here;" He pointed to a stretch of beach on the opposite side of the river with his pointer, "There is a series of overhangs and brush which will conceal you. Once we have breached the walls we will send up a flare chemically treated to give off green smoke; that will be your signal. You will charge out; from there it is only a short distance to the fort, and seize the gap. Once you have it secured set off the flare you have been given. It will give off red smoke; which will be our signal to cross the river; you must then hold off the enemy and keep their earthbenders from resealing the gap. Do you understand?"

Zokar nodded his ascent and the council ended soon afterwards. Kang invited them to take refreshments with him but Zokar did not stay long. All knew that Mongke's statement was true and while Wozen and Kang gave him looks of pity none present were eager to talk to him. It did the careers of no man good to be thought of as a friend of one whom the Fire Lord was known to disfavor and Zokar made his way back tent as soon as decorum would allow awaiting the coming of night.

**Author's Notes: Well here is another chapter for your enjoyment I hope you liked it. Next time we'll get to the fighting. Now just for the record was not trying to make Kang and Wosen seem heartless, just that they would not be inclined to stick their necks out for someone they just met. Also, am I making Zokar to creepy, if you think so let me know in a review. See you all later and may Jesus bless you all. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes: I still do not anything but the characters I create.**

Zokar found his way to his tent where; as per his instructions, Woo had tea prepared. He sipped at it but did not really taste it; he did not have his uncle's near mania for the brew at the best of times and his mind was now occupied with other matters. Now he knew the manner of death that his father had prepared for him; to fall heroically leading an assault on an enemy stronghold. In a way it would increase troop moral; doubtless father already had a magnificent funeral speech prepared about this latest sacrifice by the line of Sozin. For just a moment Zokar felt a flash of anger at the fate he had been dealt, but quickly suppressed it. He despised it when people gave into extreme emotions; it only made them blind and stupid; and he did not believe in either fate or destiny, which Zuko, before his banishment, had always been going on about. It had always annoyed Zokar when he did that; to Zokar people who claimed to have a destiny where just being lazy, expecting some higher power to do the work for them and then let them reap the rewards. The same with fate; if someone claimed that fate was against them when they failed were only making excuses for their own short comings. So he would not rage or cry that what was being done to him was unfair; he had not done so when his parents rejected him in favor of his siblings and he would not do so now. He would carry out his orders and live or die by his own skill, not fate or destiny.

His thoughts were interrupted by Woo announcing that he had a visitor. The man Woo showed in was young; Zokar put his age at about twenty, and who had almost feminine good looks. He was slim with classic Fire Nation features; but his skin was more tanned than usual. He sported a goatee and mustache, which were in fashion for young men at the moment. Bizarrely though he had dyed both a bright yellow and he had yellow streaks through his hair, which was a bit longer than was considered proper.

"Greetings my prince;" he said while making the customary bow; which he somehow managing to turn the act into an almost theatrical flourish, "I am Chen Wa; second-son of Admiral Feng Wa, Lord of the Southern Isles, and I wanted to make your acquaintance, seeing as how we are going into the breach together."

"You are part of the Forlorn Hope then;" asked Zokar; as he gestured to a seat and offered his guest tea. "Curious; how did you get that assignment, and how did you come to be in the army; unless I am much mistaken your family is more of the sea." Which was quite true; it had been Zokar's own great-grandfather, Sozin, who had raised the Wa family to noble status and lordship of the Southern Isles after Admiral Ma Wa won a stunning victory at the Battle of a Thousand Ships, opening the way for the initial invasion of the Earth Kingdom. Much of the Fire Nation's trade with the colonies was conducted through mercantile houses and ships which were owned either directly by the Wa family or by those who owed fealty to them, making them one of the richest and most powerful families in the Fire Nation.

Chen waved his hand airily, "One would think so your highness, and to honest I thought I would be as well it came time for me to my family duty and serve. But, I fear I may have become a slight embarrassment to the family. For unlike my dear older brother Lee; I don't care for the rough and tumble life of the military. I much prefer the delights of the capital; with all its magnificent wines, grand parties, and best of all, the lovely ladies. Well; for some unfortunate reason, father disapproved of my libertine lifestyle; so he packed me off with his old crony General Fang. Like most grumpy old my father holds to the belief that making a young man physically uncomfortable for months on end while periodically trying to kill him will improve his morale character. As for tonight's little escapade; strange as it sounds, I volunteered, who knows, it may be fun."

The conversation ended soon after and Chen took his leave. Woo made a noise of disapproval in the back of his throat. He was a firm believer in tradition and propriety and obviously held the same views of Chen as his father did. Zokar hear Woo but he made no comment, he was deep in thought. Something in Chen's statement had rung false; he wasn't certain which part, but something the man had said was not true. He would have to find out if he survived the night.

Woo helped him into his armor as twilight fell, in design it was similar to that his brother worn when he departed on his quest to find the avatar. At his waist Woo buckled his jian sword Fire Fang, his father had given the sword its name, and he suspected it was yet another jab at his lack of bending ability. The rain had begun to fall when he left his tent and went to the prearranged assembly point for the members of the Forlorn Hope. He was one of the first to arrive but the others were not soon in coming. Chen was there and with the exception of him no one looked pleased to see Zokar.

General Kang was there as well to see them off. He looked for a moment that he was going to give speech, but in the end he said nothing, just gave each man an affectionate pat on the back as they filed off into the boats. As the leader Zokar got into the first boat; alongside him was Chen; whom Zokar noted carried a dual pair of dao swords similar to Zuko's. The oars men propelled the boats forward with slow smooth strokes, careful not to make any noise that might alert any sentries of the opposite bank. What little noise they made was covered by the rain, which by now was a full downpour, and they arrived on the other side with no alarm being raised. Swiftly they took up positions against the overhangs rising from the beach and waited for the signal.

They did not have to wait long. Perhaps five minutes after they arrived the first rocks from their artillery sailed over head towards the enemy fort. Several of the early ones were off and Zokar felt the vibrations in the ground from their hitting the earth. But they soon got the range down and he could hear the booming crash of stone striking stone even over the sound of the storm. The first of the blasting jelly barrels caused several men around him to jump and curse; the wait and sound of the bombardment having done little to calm their nerves. "Steady, not long now." He whispered; his voice low but with its usual calm detachment.

Chen looked over at him, "Aren't you scared?"

Zokar thought about it for a moment the answered honestly, "No, either I will live or I will not."

Chen looked at him as I he were crazy but before he could say anything the signal flare went up from their camp. "NOW!" Cried Zokar drawing his sword and scrambling up and over the lip of the overhang. The others swiftly drew the swords, which they all carried in place of spears, and followed.

Once he was level with the fort he began running towards the newly opened hole. It was not far, maybe fifty yards from where he was, and looked to be wide enough for two to pass through at a time. He did not like that, he had been hoping for wider; if they didn't hurry that gap would become a channelizing deathtrap. Especially now that, judging from the cries and signs of activity in the fort, the enemy was finally aware of their presence. Rocks and arrows flew from the battlements. They overshot him as those on the wall were aiming for the mass of men coming behind him; he soon heard cries and screams from wounded men behind him but he pressed on.

Though he ran till his lungs burned it seemed he was getting no closer to the gap. Then, suddenly he was there. An enemy soldier raised his spear then hesitated, seeing that Zokar was no more than a boy. Zokar did not hesitate. His sword shot out and tore the man's throat up. The next soldier did not repeat his friend's mistake, but instead he lunged forward thrusting out with his spear. Zokar dodged to the side swung down with his sword cutting the spears' head off. The next blow took the head off of the man.

Then he was through the gap and in the fort. Everywhere was confusion; everywhere men were running and shouting. The screams of the men wounded in the bombardment mingled with the other sounds; which, when combined with the flames from the fires started by the bombardment gave the whole scene of hellish unreality. It seemed that in all the confusion the entrance of Zokar and his men had at first gone for the most part unobserved' but that was rapidly changing.

"Lookout!" Cried one of the soldiers behind him. Zokar did not hesitate; he threw himself forward onto his stomach as a rock the size of his head flew over him. The man who had cried the warning was not so fortunate and Zokar heard a sickening crunch as the rock crushed his chest. Zokar quickly scanned the area; there! About thirty feet away was a barefoot man with two hammers who was obviously an earthbender. The man struck the ground with his left-handed which caused several more stones to spring from the ground; he then struck one with his other hammer sending it hurdling toward Zokar.

He jumped to side and began running toward the man; he wove from side to side keeping his movements random. He remembered the things the soldiers told him on the voyage. Earthbenders could use earth either as a projectile, such as this one was doing, or they could turn the very ground against their opponents: opening holes in the ground, causing stone spikes to shoot from the ground or causing the earth to wrap around a person, among other things. But all these tactics had one thing in common. The action was not instantaneous; the bender had to make the required movement and then the energy had to travel to the area the bender wished to effect. The way to counter this was to keep moving and to randomize ones movements so the bender could not anticipate where one would be so the bender would not know which area to bend.

It worked; Zokar feigned to the left, the bender's right foot slammed down causing a stone spike to shoot from the group impaling Zokar. Or would have if Zokar had been where the bender anticipated he would be; instead he had gone to the right and thrown his shield. It spun through the air and struck the bender in the face; breaking both the benders stance and several of his teeth. He lunged forward and thrust his sword into the man's stomach; the man jerked and was still.

Picking up his shield Zokar turned to study the battle it was not going well for his men. The Earth Kingdom counter-attacks were disorganized and uncoordinated but his men were heavily outnumbered and already many of his men were down. But the enemy's chaotic movements were preventing their earthbenders from remaking the wall; if they signaled Kang now the main force should be able to make it in time.

"My Lord!" Screamed someone behind him. Turning he saw one of the soldiers who had accompanied him. He was a young man, not yet out of his teens. He was short and slight. Curiously he was armed, not with the standard issued sword, but with two iron balls attached to lengths of chains, one in each hand. "My Lord;" he said again holding something up, "The flare; it's too wet it will not fire!"

Zokar cursed; without that flare Kang would not come, if they did not come they were all dead. Casting about; he saw what he needed, one of the fires caused by the bombardment. "Come on!" He yelled at the young man and headed toward the fire.

As he ran towards it Zokar found that he had trouble focusing; the battle had induced feelings that he had never known before. The rush of adrenalin, the uncertainty of whether he would live or die, the fear that he saw in the eyes of his enemies and the overwhelming rush of life he felt when he cut an enemy down. All these combined into a feeling of euphoria that he found he had neither the ability nor desire to suppress.

He heard a new sound rising over the battle; it was high and cold and carried the sound of years of cruelty, of the joy of cruelty and the thrill of shedding blood. With a start he realized what the sound was; it was him. For the first time in years he was laughing.

The realization stunned him; looking around he saw the battle had ceased as men on both sides turned to stare at the source of that terrible laugh. He saw the fear on the enemy's faces and with a start he saw it on the faces of his own men as well. They feared him as much as the enemy did.

He shook his head and forced his usual calmness to reassert itself. He began running again; as if that were the signal the fighting resumed through the fort. He thundered toward the fire, the boy hot on his heels. Reaching the fire he grabbed the flare and thrust it into the fire. It lay there smoldering for a moment, then it exploded. The light was blinding; fortunately Zokar was looking away, and the smoke that billowed up was green.

Zokar and the other youth fought their way back to the gap where the rest of their force was fighting to hold back the enemy tide. There were not many left; fewer than a dozen were still standing and all of them were sporting wounds. Zokar came to stand beside Chen; the youth stood on his other side. "Well, that was impressive;" said Chen, struggling to smile while fingering the sword in his right hand, the left sword was gone and blood leaked from a gash on that arm, "I don't suppose you could manage another of those creepy laughs to scare these boys away could you?"

"I fear not." Said Zokar; his voice returned to its normal tone. The euphoria had bled away and he was back to his normal self.

"To bad;" said Chen with a sardonic grin, "Oh well, shall we?" He asked shrugging in the direction of the oncoming enemy.

Zokar nodded and was about to rush forward when he heard a commotion coming from behind. There were shouts and cries of alarm from the soldiers on the wall and the sound of rushing feet. Turning, he and his men were nearly knocked aside by a veritable tide of men in red armor rushing through, Kang had come.

**Author's Notes: Whew, am I glad that's done. Sorry folks I have been have connection problems with my internet so you get two chapters at once. Please leave a review and let me know if you think it needs work. That's it for now see you all later and as always may Jesus bless you all. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone sorry I haven't written in a while I still only own the creations of my own imagination.**

The rest of the battle was a blur to Zokar; the main force arrived and the enemy resistance collapsed soon afterwards. Of the one hundred men who had followed Zokar into the breach less than a dozen remained, all of whom were wounded to one degree or another. Both Kang and Wozen had congratulated him for his success and promised to send glowing reports of his exploits back home. He barely heard them.

Now that the battle was over he could go back over what had happened. He returned with the other survivors to their camp on the other side of the river. He could not help but notice that they all gave him Leery glances and kept their distance from him; once they arrived he headed straight to his tent and called for Woo to help him out of his armor and prepare tea, he then he threw himself into a chair. The more he thought about the incident the more he found that it disturbed him.

All his life he had strived to maintain control of his emotions. Oh he knew what people said about him; that he was cold and unnatural. It did not bother him; in fact he rather liked it, it made him feel different from everyone around him, but tonight that image had been shattered. He had lost control and he had to admit that part of him had reveled in it. He had been both unwilling and unable to resist the rush and all the feelings it had brought. He even realized to, his disgust, he had enjoyed the fear on both the enemy's faces and his own men; he had loved the feeling of power it gave him.

None of this was expectable. He prided himself on his control and the fact that he had lost that angered him, or as close to that emotion as he ever allowed himself. Also, he remembered that for a moment he had seen clearly that if he wanted to he could let go completely and allow the tide of emotions to take him completely to revel in them forever. He saw clearly now that that way lay madness and the thought he had considered, however briefly, walking down that path shamed him.

His course of action was clear. He would do with it what he done when he had felt anger at his parents rejection and jealousy at the love they had given his siblings, pain at his siblings taunting and the pain of loneliness he had felt all of his early years. He would suppress this feeling until it faded away and he could no longer feel it, he had not allowed the other emotions to control him; he would not allow this to either, even if it offered pleasure instead of pain.

He felt the tension inside him ease once he determined upon a course of action. Casting his thoughts about to find something else to focus on he remembered the boy who had given him the rocket. He had interested Zokar and Zokar wished to know more about him. He called for Woo and sent him to find the boy's commanding officer. Woo returned about twenty minutes later with a middle aged captain who introduced himself as Captain Zhang. After the usual courtesies Zokar brought up the subject he wished to talk about. "As you know I was the leader of the Forlorn Hope. During the battle before the main force arrived a young man under your command caught my eye and I am curious to know more about him.

Zhang thought for a moment and the said, "You must mean Lǎoshǔ my lord." Zokar arched an eyebrow at the name and Zhang continued hastily, "You see my lord that really is his name. From what he has said his mother was a… was a…" He trailed off embarrassed.

"A prostitute;" Said Zokar dryly, "I am familiar with the word."

"Of course my lord;" Said Zhang; coughing in an embarrassed manner, "As I was saying his mother was one, never did say who his father was, doubt he knows himself, in any event, his mother saw his birth as a great nuisance and gave him that name in consequence. I have had no reports of him being a discipline problem; though I have heard rumors he and some of the other men have formed a gambling ring. I must say though, he is quite the scrounger, very resourceful."

After thanking him and requesting that their talk be kept confidential he Zokar dismissed Zhang. Zokar sat for a time deep in thought; he contemplated the two men, Chen and Lǎoshǔ. Now that he had survived the death his father had planned for him he had to consider the future. He did not know what would happen next but he was sure he would need able men. Lǎoshǔ was reportedly a man who could locate things, someone like him could be useful and as for Chen…. He came from a family of great wealth and influence; and he had clearly been seeking to cultivate him with their earlier conversation. However; Zokar remembered there had been something off about the other man; he would need to clear up that matter before he could proceed with that one.

His thoughts were interrupted by a commotion at the entrance. Going to investigate he found it was Lieutenant Lee. "My lord;" Cried Lee in an anxious and strained voice, as if had been running, "General Kang has called for an emergency meeting in his tent."

Zokar immediately hurried from his tent to that of General Kang. Along the way he observed that a sense of tense uneasiness had replaced the earlier mood of victory, the soldiers did not seem to know what was going on but they knew something was wrong.

Upon arrival at Kang's tent he was immediately ushered inside. There were all the officers that had been at the last council, though they all seemed as tense as those outside, if not more so. Kang began without preamble. "Gentlemen, I have grave news. The enemy has played us for fools. I have just received a messenger hawk from New Sozin. This force which we have just defeated was bait. As soon as we marched out to meet it; it seems that a second force was lying in wait at sea. According to the message they were less than a day's sailing and the message is more than a day old. For all we know the city has already fallen."

The occupants of the tent immediately broke out in several frantic conversations as everyone spoke at once demanding to know how this could happen, with several loudly denouncing the navy as the guilty party. "Enough!" Thundered Kang, silencing all others. "That is irrelevant right now, what is relevant is what we are going to do about it. What we are going to do is this. As soon as this meeting is concluded I and all those with mounts shall ride back to the city while Wozen follows with infantry and siege weapons." Zokar raised the notion that the siege weapons were dead weight and should be destroyed and that the baggage animals be used to mount more troops. Kang rejected the idea. "With respect my prince, we will need those siege weapons if the city has fallen and while I would like more troops with me; putting a bunch of men who have never ridden before would only slow the experienced riders down and result in a number of broken bones." Zokar acknowledged this and said no more for the rest of the meeting. It ended soon after as there really was nothing more to say. Within two hours he and the other riders were headed back with all speed.

**Author's Notes: Well here it is. I know it was a bit shorter than before. That is my style, after an action episode I have a cooling off chapter. The next one will see the return of blood and violence. In regards to that how was it in the last chapter, too much not enough, let me know. Regarding his mental state; I want him to the opposite of Azula, she wants to control everything around her he wants to control himself and any loss of this to either pain or pleasure is unacceptable. He is not emotionless he has just suppressed them for so long he no longer really feels, or understands, them nor those who do; please let me know if I did a good job of explaining this. Thanks again for reading and reviewing. See you all next time and may Jesus bless you all till next time.**

**Lǎoshǔ****: Is Chines for rat **


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews and I still do not own anything but my characters.**

Kang pushed them through the night. Though haste was needed they could not travel at full speed; they had to ensure that when they arrived they had strength to fight; also those on mongoose dragons were slowed down by the slower komodo rhinos and finally they were forced to travel at the pace of the slowest rider, they could not afford to break up into smaller groups due to differences in riding ability.

During the ride Zokar took the opportunity to observe those around him. There were looks of apprehension about the coming battle as well as the looks of men who have just realized that the victory they thought had been won was just the prelude to another battle. However, he saw other looks as well, whereas before all the men had looked at him with barely disguised distain; thinking of him either as a useless burden or as a spoiled prince playing at war. Now the looks were different, word of his leading the Forlorn Hope had spread throughout the army, the looks were now of cautious respect, they still did not know what to make of him, but they could not deny that he had courage.

Unencumbered by either baggage or infantry they made the trip in less than a day; arriving shortly before sundown. Even from several miles away they could hear the sounds of battle; the officers were heartened to hear this as it meant the city had not yet fallen. The darkening sky was illuminated by flames from the parts of the city that had caught fire.

Their force halted on a hill a quarter mile from the city. It was growing dark, but not so dark that they could not see that the city gates were open and men in the uniform of the city guard, who had been left to hold the city in the army's absence, were running through it. Kang growled deep in his throat in disgust and turned back to his officers. "Mongke, take your men and get that rabble back under control then lead them back into the city! Wosen, take two hundred men, you know what to do. The rest of you, with me!" So saying he spurred his mount forward toward the city gates.

As he and his men spurred on Wosen turned to Zokar. "Prince Zokar; follow me." He then turned and led his men around the city walls toward the beach. Zokar at first did not understand why they were heading toward the water; but when they reached it he understood why. The men of their contingent, all of whom were mounted on mongoose dragons, reared their mounts onto their hind legs and ran along the surface of the water. They ran out and then turned so as to enter the harbor where they saw the enemy ships. The enemy had obviously not anticipated that anybody would be attacking their ships from the water, as indicated that there was only a small guard on their ships and these were quickly killed or driven off. Wozen and the other firebenders quickly set about firing the ships. To Zokar's confusion Wozen ordered them to stop after they had only fired half of the ships. Before he could ask the general's reasoning Lieutenant Lee rode up and informed them that Kang had desperate need of them in the city. The situation was bad. On the positive side they were in a city made primarily of stone so they were free to use their firebending to the maximum. On the negative side; they were fighting earthbenders in a city made primarily of stone; and the enemy was taking full advantage of that too.

According to Lee when Kang had first charged in the enemy had scattered and been driven back into the city, but then things had gone to hell. Quick thinking earthbenders caused buildings to collapse and street cobbles to form walls; first halting Kang's advance and giving the enemy time to regroup, then dividing Kang's troops, leaving them vulnerable to counterattacks. Kang had found himself trapped in a marketplace near the center of the city and had sent Lee to find Wozen and any other friendly troops he could find and guide them to him.

Wozen immediately set off at a gallop with Lee as his guide and his men right behind him. They had made it about half way to Kang when a cry went up.

"Ambush!" Screamed Lee as a wall shot up in front of them. Before anyone could react arrows began to rain down on them, one of them taking Lee in the throat. As he fell to the ground the other riders frantically scanned the rooftops; they saw men with bows popping up to fire then dropping out of sight again. Men raised their shields and attempted to block the incoming missiles but the enemy archers were firing from both sides of the street and from multiple angles and several more men fell and still the enemy benders remained unseen.

"THERE!" Screamed someone pointing to a nearby rooftop; Zokar spun his mount about to look and saw a man bring his foot down on the roof he was standing on. Though he could do nothing to the bender the movement saved his life. The stones forming the street at the head of the column suddenly formed spikes and shot into the air. Mongoose dragons hissed in pain as the spikes pierced them; as did a dozen or so riders as the spikes continued up through their mounts to impale them as well. Zokar was on the edge of the affected area so he avoided that; though several spikes shot up from where he been just moments before. His mount suddenly jerked as one of the spikes shot through its skull, killing it instantly. Fortunately for Zokar the spike lifted the front to the animal off the ground and left it hang there so he simply slid off the back.

Surveying the situation he saw that things were on the verge of completely falling apart. Wozen lay among the dead as did the standard bearer. With neither their leader nor a rallying point and under the barrage of arrows, the men were beginning to succumb to panic; if that happened they would be lost, they would scatter throughout the city and the enemy would hunt them down and slaughter them piecemeal.

Zokar acted; he seized the fallen standard and jumped on a mount that had miraculously survived and turned to face the men.

"Fang! Have three of your firebenders bring down that earthbender! Have the rest of them bring down that wall! The rest of you form two lines bring your shields together!" Fang nodded and soon four streams of fire shot up toward the enemy bender. The man blocked to with a hastily raised wall, but the other two took him and he fell to the ground screaming. It seemed that he was the only one as no more spikes or walls came up. Meanwhile; the other firebenders, about twenty or so, forced their way to the head of the column and launched fire at the wall. As Zokar had hoped the wall was not one solid piece of stone; but a combination of pathing stones, building stones and rocks and dirt from under the city all fused together with bending. Under the combined heat the materials began to come apart and with a loud bang the wall shattered.

Zokar looked back at the men; they had come together but they were not trained to form a mounted shield wall and neither were their shields designed to do so; so there were gaps and men were still falling but not as many as before. They also seemed calmer now that someone was taking charge. Raising the standard high he yelled at the top of his lungs, "With me!" And charged down the newly opened street, the others right behind him. As they thundered down the street Zokar quickly estimated his casualties; he estimated he had lost about thirty to forty men, fortunately they reached the market place without meeting further resistance.

Kang's advance had come to a complete halt. Many of his men were dead or wounded and most of their mounts were down as well. They had formed into a circle in the middle of the market and had erected a crude barricade of ripped down stalls, bales of merchandise even their dead mounts. The barrier was not completely whole and there were several gaps, but so far Kang seemed to have held. Bodies, both Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, carpeted the ground and enemy soldiers swarmed the surrounding buildings. Just as they entered the court yard a large stone was hurled at Kang's position. Zokar saw Kang and several men launch fire at it. They all struck the rock on one side in an apparent effort to alter the rock's trajectory; they were partially successful, the rock began to spin and that spin carried it to the side so it struck only the outer edge of the barricade. On impact it shattered sending chunks flying about like shrapnel; all around men went down including Kang.

That had obviously been a signal from another street several hundred enemy soldiers mounted on ostrich horses and charged a gap in the barricade. Their intentions were clear; they were going to punch a hole through for their infantry. If something was not done the position would be overrun.

Zokar did not say a word he just spurred his mount toward them, behind him he heard the others following close behind. He felt the wild mixture of emotions building up inside him; but this time he was ready for it and forced it down and concentrated on the enemy. As they closed with the enemy he lowered his spear like a lance as fire flew from Fang and the other benders to crash into the enemy. This alerted the enemy to their peril but it was to late; Zokar and his men crashed into their flank. Zokar's spear took his opponent on the man's shield, knocking the man to the ground. His face twitched slightly as his spear was driven back from the impact driving slivers into his hand. He also had to drop the remnants' of his spear and grab frantically for his reins to avoid being knocked off his mount, the mongoose dragons saddles were not designed for this.

After the initial impact things devolved into a wild swirling melee. Zokar was a good rider and had trained for years with the sword; but that did not apparently mean he was automatically skilled at mounted combat. To start with he had, of course, learned to use his knees to control his mount, but that had been in addition to using reins; now, with his sword in one hand and the standard in the other, his hands were pretty much out of play. He also failed to take certain factors into account; for example: he failed to take into account that he was going much faster than usual; several times he aimed for a man and found he was past him before completing his swing. Also; just because knew what he wanted his mount to do did not mean it did, forcing his to take his attention off the enemy to direct his mount. Finally; he was struggling to get used to the difference in distances. He nearly fell off his mount several times because he over reached to swing at an opponent.

Never the less, he managed to overcome these difficulties and stay on his mount and cut down several opponents. He thought he heard someone call his name but he could not be sure in all the din and confusion. He suddenly felt a white hot pain in his right leg; turning he saw that a spear had been thrust into his right leg. A quick swing did for its wielder but he found he could not pull it out; so he swung his blade down and cut off the wooden part leaving only the metal head buried in his leg.

A sudden roaring caught his attention. Turning about he saw that the enemy infantry had come to the aid of their cavalry. He tried to rally his men but there was no time. He saw his men, who had broken up into smaller groups, surrounded and cut off from each other. He saw some men speared and others pulled to the ground and stabbed. Zokar himself was surrounded by several opponents. He lashed out with his sword at one and bashed another with his shield. The first managed to jump back but the second was knocked to the ground. Neither action had any effect on the third man who ran up and thrust a sword into Zokar's back.

Zokar's body went rigid and they ran up and grabbed his arm and leg and pulled from his saddle, tumbling him to the ground. He landed on his wounded back causing another wave of pain to shoot through him. Rather than try to rise he rolled into the legs of one of his attackers knocking the man off of his feet while he swung at the legs of the other two causing them to jump back. As he started to get to his feet he heard steps running up behind him; he tried to turn to see who it was but he suddenly felt a flash of pain of pain in his head and everything became a blinding white, then everything went black.

When he awoke the first thing he was aware of was pain, but unlike before this pain was a dull constant throb. The second thing was that he was no longer in his armor but in a bed robe and he was, in fact in a soft comfortable bed in a room he did not recognize. He slowly sat up realizing how stiff he was; the movement also sent jabs of pain from his wounds. Bringing his hand to his head he felt a bandage wrapped around his head, its purpose to hold a poultice at the back of his head in place.

"Ah, you are awake at last, exhalent; we were beginning to worry about you." Turning his head Zokar saw Kang coming into the room. He was walking with a limp and leaned on a carved walking stick. He was also now sporting a patch were his left eye used to be. "Well, my prince;" he said sitting down in a chair next to the bed, "I must say, you look significantly worse than the first time we met."

"If you permit me to say so, so did you." Zokar said in his usual flat tone of voice. For some reason Kang found this quite funny and he burst out laughing. Zokar waited patiently for him to stop and then asked what had happened and where he was.

"Well;" began Kang, "I suppose you could say that you saved the day. That charge you mounted held up the enemy long enough for Mongke to rally the defenders and lead a successful counterattack; if you hadn't acted when you did the city may have fallen."

Zokar nodded then asked "How bad were our loses?"

Kang's good humor vanished and he became solemn; "Bad, very bad. We lost well over half our force killed or wounded, including General Wozen." Kang looked away and had to take several deep breaths. To distract him Zokar asked about burning only half the ships. "Oh that, it's an old tactic Wozen and I developed. When a battle hangs by a thread the victory goes to the side that breaks last. If you had burned all the ships then the enemy would have had no escape and they would have fought to the death; but when you give them a chance to live most men take it.

Well I have some good news for you; while you were unconscious I received a messenger hawk from the capital. Your father received my reports on your actions. He has requested your presence as soon as possible. You sail as soon as you are ready."

**Author's Notes: Well here is the next chapter I hope you liked it. From now on I will be going back and forth from this story to another I am working on so I do not know when the next update will be but I hope not too long. If you see any mistakes as far as grammar or punctuation please let me know. See you all later and may Jesus bless you all.**

To a surrounded enemy, you must leave a way of escape… Show him there is a road to safety, and so create in his mind the idea that there is an alternative to death. Then strike**- **Sun Tzu


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes: Well here we are again still only own the things I make up. **Tyrion Lannister of course belongs to G.R.R. Martin

_Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you. - _Tyrion Lannister

The voyage home was uneventful. Zokar spent the majority of it in his cabin for he still felt weak from the wounds he had sustained in the battle. Both the doctors who had attended him and Kang had urged him to rest longer but he knew that he was pressing it as it was; when his father said as soon as possible he meant right now. As it was his father might very well look at the time he had already taken as a deliberate act of disrespect; and Zuko had learned the hard way what happened to those whom their father deemed guilty of that offence. Even now the memory of that Agni Ki brought a scowl to his face. While he, as a non-bender, could not participate in an Agni Ki and he, unlike his siblings, did not fear his father; still, the man had tried to kill once indirectly, no point in giving him the chance to do so directly.

He was not traveling alone. He was traveling on a ship carrying a number of wounded men back to the Fire Nation. Many of their ships had been sunk or damaged during the battle so it was faster for him to sail home with the others rather than waiting for a ship for himself. He did receive his own cabin of course. It was there that he received Chen. The man had been wounded fighting alongside Kang and was being sent home to recover; Zokar was still curious about the man and he doubted that he would have the chance to satisfy that curiosity when he got home.

He had Woo bring Chen to his cabin and offered the man tea.

"Well;" said Chen as he eased himself into a chair, a flying rock had broken his leg so walking, even with crutches, difficult, "I must say we both looked a far better the last we spoke."

Zokar nodded in silent agreement. "I will come straight to the point. When we first spoke you described yourself as a pleasure searching libertine. When you said that something in the way you said it struck me as off. The way you acted later confirmed that; I checked, you volunteered for that Forlorn Hope and then you fought valiantly alongside Kang at New Sozin. That is not the behavior of a libertine."

Chen sat in silence for a time and then slowly he began to speak. "Well, you're half right. Don't misunderstand me I have a well-deserved reputation for wild living and I could name a lady or two who could speech very kindly of our time together." With this a rakish grin crossed his face. It quickly vanished as he continued. "About a year ago my brother returned home; he followed Father into the navy. I had just returned home drunk from a party; he did not say a word, he just looked at me, the look he gave me was the same as Father's. I had always brushed Father's disapproval off, but for some reason I could not do the same with my brother's, maybe it had something to do with us being peers. I tried to shrug it off but I couldn't; I kept finding myself comparing myself to him and always coming up short. I looked at my friends when we would be out carousing and I would see them as my brother saw me; lazy and worthless. Now please do not misunderstand; I still enjoy that lifestyle but now I feel that I must do something to… justify my existence; I want to show my father and brother that I am just as brave and dedicated to the Fire Nation as they are, but I also have my pride, which is why I chose the army rather than the navy. My brother has made his mark there; if I went there no matter what I did I would always be in his shadow. I want, I need, to prove I am my own man."

After that the conversation turned to other matters. As it drew to a close Zokar decided to bring up other thing that had been on his mind. "Chen; at the battle for the breach, was there a time when you feared me?"

Chen sat there in silence, obviously reluctant to answer, finally he spoke. "To be honest yes. At that moment you began laughing; you ceased to be a man at that moment you looked and sounded almost demonic. I honestly thought that you were going kill us all. For a moment you looked like some evil spirit from the old stories that would kill the entire world to revel in the blood." Zokar had nothing to say in response and Chen soon took his leave.

They entered the capital just after sunrise. News of the victories had obviously reached there ahead of them and a large crowd of people where there to welcome them home. Zokar rode at the head of the impromptu parade mounted on a kimono rhino. It was a strange experience; people seemed to actually be glad to see him. This had never happened before; people had always shown him the proper respect due to a member of the ruling family of course, but beneath that the knowledge that he was not a bender and therefore in the eyes of many a disgrace to the royal family and the nation as a whole remained. This was the first time that people actually seemed sincere in their praising of him; he had no idea how to deal with this situation and it made him uneasy. Not knowing what else to do he took an even firmer grip on his emotions than usual.

Upon arrival at the palace he was immediately summoned to the presence of the Fire Lord. His father sat on his flame-shrouded throne looking down on him. On the right side of the dais, in the place reserved for the heir-apparent, sat Azula trying to look reserved and regal like their father; most would have been fooled but Zokar, who had known her her whole life wasn't. He saw the well concealed air of smugness about her; being sat on Father's right side, clearly proclaiming her the heir, was clearly a recent event and she was still reveling in it. Also present where members of the war council including War Minister Qin, General Shu and numerous other officers and court functionaries.

As custom dictated Zokar bowed before his father. Silence hung in the air for several minutes; Zokar knew what was happening, his father was attempting to intimidate him with the silence. Zokar, not finding himself intimidated, simply waited. Finally his father grew tired of the game and began to speak.

"I am pleased that you returned victorious."

_Liar_, thought Zokar, _you are pleased with the victory but would be even more so if I had joined the honored dead_.

At a sign from his father he rose from his bow. His father's burning eyes met his own flat empty ones. A silent conversation was held between the two sets of eyes. His father's mouth quirked in a smirk; yes, his father had sent him to die, he knew and his father knew he knew and they both knew it would never be spoken of. He had no proof and it would not matter if he had, his life and the lives of all other people of the Fire Nation Empire were the Fire Lord's to do with as he would.

"Still;" his father continued, his voice growing noticeably sterner and colder, "I cannot help but notice that you showed less than commendable speed in answering my summons." As he spoke the flames around him rose slightly, not by much, just enough to show his displeasure. Zokar knew what was happening; his father had failed with silence, he was now trying to verbally intimidate him, with a little pyrotechnics thrown in.

It would not work; he was not Zuko to be frightened by his father; neither was he Azula, who desperate sought for their father's affection. He neither loved nor feared his father; the man could kill him in an instant if he chose to and there was not a thing he could do about it but he would not give his father the satisfaction of showing him fear.

"I beg your forgiveness father. When your message arrived I was still unconscious. I returned as soon as I could. Indeed I left against the advice of the attending physicians. I fear that had I come any sooner it would be my corpse before you."

Ozai quirked an eyebrow, Azula's eyes went wide while around them the others in the room made scandalized sounds. "Well; let us be grateful you are still among the living." Ozai said while giving a completely insincere smile. Your birthday is three days from now. I declare that on that day, in addition to the usual festivities, there shall be a feast of thanksgiving to Agni for these latest victories of our valiant warriors for the whole city at the crown's expense. Now doubtless you are tired my son, go and rest and recover from your journey."

Zokar bowed again and departed. _Well played Father. _He thought as he headed for his quarters. His father had sent him to die and he had instead returned a hero; his father now had to contend with that. He had done so four times at the end.

First had been when he said that Zokar's birthday celebrations would be the same as usual. Due his status as the family embarrassment, at least until his brother's actions less than a year ago, his birthday was hardly noted. Most years he did not even receive congratulations from his family at all. As was customary he would present himself at the gates of the palace and the citizens would gather and wish him well but this was done only out of tradition and the people dispersed as soon as propriety would allow.

This might have been different this year except that his father had proclaimed a celebration of thanksgiving for the victory to Agni. The ceremonies would take place in the morning at or near dawn; the same time as the traditional gathering of well-wishers. It would still occur of course, tradition had to be maintained, but even if they were inclined to stay longer they would have to leave to make it to the temples. Besides, they were hardly likely to take credit for victories that the Fire Lord and Sages declared belonged to a god and give it to a mortal.

Thirdly there was the feast. This would commence immediately after the temple services were over. The fare would be far better than most of them were accustomed to; and it would be Fire Lord Ozai who provided it, not Prince Zokar. With their thoughts still full of temple rituals and their bellies full of fine food and wine their thoughts would be far from the dour prince.

The final stroke and proof that his father had been planning something, was the presence of all those officers and nobles in the throne room. They would all have seen the way his audience with his father had ended; war heroes are generally not set to bed like little children.

Father had replaced him in the public eye and made him appear weak and child like to the nobles. Zokar had expected nothing less.

Elsewhere in the palace Azula considered Zokar in her own rooms. She had been as shocked as everyone else at the borderline disrespect that he had shown to their father during his audience and had half expected Father to incinerate him then and there. He had not and that told her something. Father considered Zuko worthless and had banished him for a similar act. The fact that he had not done the same for Zokar told her that Father still believed him to be an asset.

She still did not know what to make of her brother; she remembered the calm way he had announced that Father was sending him to his death; Father's look of annoyance when he received word of Zokar's survival had convinced her he had spoken the truth. She found she shared her father's annoyance at his survival; at first she did not know why this was so. She was completely indifferent to Zuko's death, which she considered inevitable and likely to happen sooner rather than later. But she found that Zokar's continual existence truly aggravated her for some reason.

Then it hit her; she knew why it aggravated her so. It was the way he had acted with father. He had been completely unafraid of Father. She knew when people were feigning fearlessness and he hadn't been. It was not courage she had seen; it was complete indifference as to wither he lived or died. That unsettled her. Fear she knew was the only reliable way to ensure peoples obedience; the idea of someone without fear made her uneasy. No, it was more than unease she felt; she remembered that day all those years ago. The way he had brushed aside her flames, the frightening strength of his hand around her throat and most of all, the dead empty look in his eyes. With a start she realized the truth. She was afraid of Zokar.

She shook her head angrily; the idea was impossible, ludicrous even. She was a prodigy of the most powerful style of bending and the heir to the mightiest nation the world had ever seen; why should she fear someone who could not even bend? Then she remembered him standing there in the throne room facing the one man on earth whose power dwarfed hers completely unafraid. She also remembered the whisperings among the servants and guards about his actions in the first battle. In her mind she saw him, his body covered in blood and the emptiness of his eyes replaced by mindless blood lust and she shuddered. Mother had called her a monster, she was right of course but she was not the only monster Ursa had birthed.

Firmly she shook herself; monster or no, he was an asset and she would make use of him. But how; she controlled others through fear so how would she control someone who did not fear? Then a thought occurred to her and a devious smile spread across her face. Of course, it was so simple. He was doubtless proud of his fearless and his new status as a military hero; if there was one thing she learned from all those state dinners she had attended it was that men could never stop bragging about their courage and their past victories, however insignificant they may be, if given half a chance. All she had to do was find an opening.

That would not be a problem either. She had realized at once what father was doing and unless Zokar was as dumb as Zuzu he would realize it as well. She would find him the most magnificent gift he had ever received, which would not be hard because most years he received no gifts at all. Then she would wait for the celebrations to begin in the city, the royal family of course would not mingle with peasants and would remain in the palace. Zokar would doubtless be in his quarters, alone as usual, where he would be able to hear the sounds of celebrations. He would undoubtedly be stewing on the glory he had been robbed of; men were so sensitive to such slights. She would present her gift and flatter him about his victories and before you know it he would be eating out of her hand. She called for her palanquin.

After an hour of going through the markets Azula was ready to start spitting fire at people in frustration. The problem was she had never looked for a gift before, on the rare occasion she bothered to give a gift she had sent one of her servants to select something appropriate. Things were compounded by the fact that she did not know her brother well enough to know what; if anything, he would like, making the selection process even more difficult.

Just as she was considering changing tactics her attention was caught by the blowing of a horn. The man blowing it was dressed in servants garb but it was the man next to him that caught her eye. He was a tall fat man dressed in the most bizarre fashion she had ever seen. He was dressed in swaths of silk of all manner of different colors which formed a multi layered robe, he wore more jewelry than many of the court ladies and on his head was a turban of yellow silk. Just looking at the offence to good taste made her want to send a fire ball or lightning bolt the man's way.

Then the man began to speak. "Greetings one and all citizens of the capital of the world! I, Mau the Magnificentm have traveled from one end of the earth to the other and beyond and have seen many strange things; both beautiful and terrifying. Today and today only I have brought some of these rare wonders for you to see and to buy. So come, one and all and examine my wares!" He cried as he gestured with a flourish toward a great tent as gaudily colored as him.

Azula smirked in amusement; the charlatan knew how to put on a show if nothing else. As if he sensed her man looked directly and then bowed so low his nose almost touched the ground. "Great lady, I see that your tastes are as refined as your beauty, I beg you to allow me the great honor of showing you the rarest and most precious of my wares; a horse."

She felt a little disappointed; here he had been doing so well. "I hardly think it's rare; there are dozens of ostrich horses in any of the noble households."

"Ah good lady, your wisdom shines as the sun; but I spoke not of an ostrich horse but of a horse. Come inside I beg of you, and she for yourself.

She followed him in; she had no fear of him and if he made her look foolish in any way she figured burning the man and the tent to ash would discourage anyone from laughing. The sides of the tent were lined with all manner of things she did not recognize but it was the creature in a pen in the center of the tent that was the focus of her attention.

It was a strange four-footed creature. It stood taller than a mongoose dragon and was far bulkier; though not as much as a kimono rhino. At first she thought it had black skin but on closer inspection she saw that in fact it was covered in short hair except for its tail and mane which were long and flowing. Its head was shaped somewhat like an ostrich horse but they lacked the look of power and arrogance this creature gave off.

"Where is it from?" She asked in hushed voice.

"From far away good lady, they are the favored mounts of the knights."

"Knights?" Asked Azula, her brow furrowed at the unfamiliar term.

"Great warriors who wear armor of steel and ride into battle on horses such as this one."

Azula shook her head; she had studied the geography of the world for years and had never heard of men who wore metal armor beyond split mail. On the other hand, she had never heard of horses before and here was one right before her eyes.

Perhaps Mau sensed her doubt for he rushed to a shelf and grabbed a book and returned. "I beg you to see for yourself good lady." Curious, she opened the book. It was full of writing she could not read, the writing was going from left to right and the letters were wholly different from the calligraphy she was familiar with. What she focused on instead the drawings. They showed men clad in strange armor; it seemed to consist of metal rings covered in places by hammered plates. It was all strange and bizarre, just the gift for her strange and bizarre brother.

"I'll take them." So saying she headed out; leaving her servants to handle the price and see to their being brought to the palace.

Three days later Zokar was sitting alone in his room reading when Woo, who was now assigned to him permanently announced that his sister wished to see him. She was waiting for him at the entrance to his quarters.

"Happy birthday brother, may you have long life and great prosperity."

Zokar looked at her in silence as she gave the traditional birthday wishes; she had never cared about his birthday before so this sudden burst of sisterly affection struck him as suspicious.

Before he could ask what she wanted he received his second surprise of the day, without warning his father entered the room behind Azula, a scribe in tow.

Both of the siblings quickly bowed.

"Father, to what do I owe the honor of your presence?"

Ozai gave them a smile that lacked any sincerity. "Why my son; does a father need a reason to visit his son on his birthday? As it happens I have a gift for you. I have decided that your actions in the colonies warrant granting you a title; chose one and my scribe shall record it."

Zokar said nothing for a moment. On the surface it was a great honor; such titles were only granted to the greatest of warriors. But he saw the truth; his father was throwing him a bone that did not matter anymore. He was already starting to fade from public view, a title cost him nothing and the very fact he was picking his own title was an insult. Before the title granted had always been Dragon, at first earned through the slaying of an actual dragon, then changed to reflect having accomplished some great feat after all the dragons were killed. Denying him the title of Dragon was meant to be another snub about his lack of bending ability. He looked from his father to his sister; he remembered all the times she had mocked him for that, looking at her he realized what he wanted his title to be.

"You honor me father and I accept this gift. My title should reflect who I am. I chose the title Ash Lord."

All three stared at him in stunned silence the n his father recovered himself. "You desire that as your title?" His voice tinged with disbelief.

"It is the title I have earned." Zokar said simply. Ozai's face flamed, he was the only Fire lord since before the time of Sozin who had not participated in a major battle, and his title had not been earned in the blood of battle.

"Very well the; Ash Lord." So saying, he spun and left the room the scribe hurrying to catch up.

Azula continued to stare at Zokar. "Why in the name of Agni would you want such a title?"

Zokar stared at her for a time and then he decided to answer. "When we were young you and Zuko tormented me for not being a bender. You hurled the title 'Ash' at me so often at times I forgot that it was not my real name. Now that I have won glory I shall not cast that name aside and attempt to mimic my tormentors. You claimed that name marked me as useless and you expected me to hide in shame from it. Instead I shall bear it openly. To you it is a mark of failure. To me it shall be a badge of honor."

**Author's Notes: Whew, that was a long one. I hope you all liked it; I was not entirely satisfied with it in places. Hopefully you all don't think the horse and all are was to out there. Just remember no one seems to have heard of the Earth King's bear or know where it came from either. What did you think of Azula did I get her right? I intend to have more people's points of view in later chapters. In reply to E's comments, thanks I will not tell you if your angle is correct because that would spoil things but I will be leaving clues to his motives in each chapter. One last thing; I am planning to star each new chapter with a quote like I did with this one which reflect his mentality and motivation. Do you all like that or do you think that it would be giving away too much? Please let me know and ,as always, may Jesus bless you all till next time. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes: Hello everyone, hope you enjoyed the last chapter**. **As always** **I do not own avatar: the last airbender. **_**Henry the V**_** belongs to Shakespeare.**

_We few, we happy few, we band of brothers-Henry V_

Zokar remained at the palace for three weeks. Fortunately his body healed quickly; he also had found a new activity. The horse Azula had given had been quite the sensation. He knew of course what her motives were and a distant part of him was faintly amused by the fact that the one who had always shunned him was now courting him. Regardless of her motives, he did enjoy the horse; he rode every day and personally groomed it afterward, earning him the gratitude of the grooms as the horse proved to be ill-tempered around everybody but him.

Of equal interest to him was the book she had given in addition to the horse. He could not read the strange writing of course, but he could look at the pictures. They showed men in armor made of metal and wielding weapons of strange design. What was most peculiar was he saw no one bending in the book. Surely in any military, and this was clearly a military manual of some sort, benders would be the focus of the book. This was an established fact; every kingdom and tribe in the world based their strategies around their benders. The only reason he could think of was that wherever this book came from there were no benders.

The thought on the surface seemed ridiculous; there were benders in every corner of the world. On the other hand; no corner of the world as far as he knew had ever heard of the horse. If there was a place where there were horses then there must be a place with no benders.

He gave that a great deal of thought. If there were no bending then he would not be the pariah that he was now. His father would not have shunned him all his life and he may have been spared his siblings taunting, well most of it anyway, Azula being Azula.

He was, of course, no longer bothered by either his father's hostility or his siblings taunting he still could not help but admit to himself that their absence would have been nice. He thought about this a great deal on his rides. Ever since he was young he had been told he was worthless because he was not able to bend, but know he knew otherwise. He had won honor on the field of battle and had beaten benders.

He knew his father would send him back to the war sooner or later; he was, at least for the moment, popular with the army and sending him would save him from sending Azula, his only remaining viable heir. When he went he did not want to go as a mere aid as his father would doubtless arrange; he could not send Zokar on another suicide mission without people getting suspicious, or worse, winning Zokar more glory. He could hardly have his non-bending son out shine his bending daughter heir.

Zokar did not want to command armies, not yet at any rate. But he did not want to spend his time shuffling paper work. No, he wanted something else entirely, and he knew how to get it.

He sent for Chen soon after coming to his decision. Chen had stayed at home; the peace in the colonies after the battles meant Kang had no further need of him. Woo escorted him into Zokar's sitting room. After the exchange of greetings they sat down on a balcony overlooking the city. Chen arched his eyebrow when he saw that Woo was serving them wine as opposed to tea.

"Some may think it a little early to be partaking."

"I do not share my uncle's mania for tea; wine I find is more appropriate for serious discussions."

"Is this to be a serious discussion?" Asked Chen; his tone losing its levity.

"Yes, do you remember the last conversation we had? When you spoke of your ambitions?" Chen nodded. "Well; I have ambitions of my own. I have had a plan forming in my mind that could help us both."

"I am all ears my prince."

Zokar stod and walk to the balcony railing. He stood there with, his hands clasped behind his back, facing away from Chen. "You know, I presume, how I am seen the people?" Chen looked uncomfortable and struggled to find words. Zokar answered his own question. "Fireless. Cursed by Agni. Ash. These names and more I have been called. Just as you; doubtless, have a few less than flattering names given to you. I propose we give the lie to those who call us worthless."

He turned back to face Chen and opened the book Azula had given him and showed him the illustrations. "This is what I propose. These men, wherever they are, are not bender and they are the elite, the book clearly shows how much they are valued. I want to form such a group; a unit of elite non-bending cavalry."

"Like the Rough Rhinos?"

"No;" said Zokar firmly, "I am in complete agreement with the late General Wozen. Those men are little more than glorified thugs and very good thugs at that. I do not want raiders; I want an elite unit of heavy cavalry; and more. I believe I have studied the bending arts more than any other non-bender. More than most benders as well; as I have studied the forms of all three bending styles while benders for the most part stick to their own element."

"Curious; why study something you cannot do? It seems rather a waste of time."

"Not at all; I study them so I can defeat them. I believe I am more knowledgeable of the weaknesses of benders than even most benders. I can teach these weaknesses and how to exploit them to you and to others. We can create something that has never existed before; a unit of non-benders who specialize in combating benders."

"Fascinating idea; but how…"

"How does get this get us what we want? Simple, as you are aware all the militaries of the world base their strategies around their benders. If we do this, if we form this unit, then we will always be at the forefront of every battle, we will be where the fighting is thickest; we will face the enemy elite in every battle. I think that should satisfy you need to prove yourself to your family. As for myself…well; I think I'll keep my own motives to myself for now."

They sat in silence for several minutes sipping at their wine. Chen appeared deep in thought as he mulled over the proposal. Zokar waited in his seat his face as impassive as ever. At last Chen seemed to come to a decision.

"You honor me my prince with this offer. To the best of my knowledge, though I will admit my knowledge of such things is pretty slim, no nation has ever created such a unit. So, yes, I will join you. If we succeed then we will be famous being the first unit of its kind and perhaps altering one of the most fundamental strategies. If we fail; we'll be seen as brave but doomed heroes. Either will do for me;" he paused and then added, "And both get girls."

Zokar stared at him for a moment before speaking. "Lord Chen, how is it that everything you speak of inevitably arrives at the subject of women?"

Chen grinned. "Why my prince; they are the most pleasant of topics, so it should be no wonder that my mind returns so faithfully to them."

Zokar had no reply to that. For some reason Chen found that funny and chuckled, leaving Zokar wondering if he should have indeed served tea instead.

Perhaps sensing that he was pushing it Chen again became serious. "You said all these men would be non-benders what other qualities are you looking for?"

"I have given that much thought since the idea first occurred to me. They will need to be skilled at arms of course, but as most will come from other military units that should not be that much of a problem. As I said will be fighting the enemy elite in every battle and their bending will give them an edge; so these men will need to be of great courage. But this is not enough; there must be more. They must be men of intelligence to learn what I will teach them; and they must have initiative to adapt to rapidly changing situations and they must have discipline, I do not want another Rough Rhinos, who have skill and initiative but are, as I said earlier, little better than thugs."

"Those are quite the requirements my prince."

"Well, if everyone could join elite unites they would not be elite."

"I suppose not; by the way, what are you planning on naming this unit?"

"Seeing as it shall be my unit and I have taken the title of Ash Lord, the name seems obvious." Here he smiled his cold smile as his thoughts drifted else ware causing Chen to pale and try to push away while still seated. "They shall be called…the Ash Knights."

**Author's Notes: Well there you are. I hope you like it, for some reason this chapter did not want to get written. As stated earlier I dropped a few hints, can you spot them? Will try to write another chapter before the end of the month. Will be going up north for the summer to help renovate some family property and will have only intermittent internet connection so may be a while. If I don't get one before I go I will have a multiple chapter update later. Goodbye and may Jesus bless you all until next time. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Notes: I still don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender Nickelodeon does, and Shakespeare owns **_**Henry V**_**.**

_For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother; be never so vile. This day shall gentle his condition. - Henry V _

With Chen on board he and Zokar worked tirelessly to bring the Ash Knights into being. The first thing they needed was money. As he doubted his father would grant him an official budget for something that was his private creation he would need to fund the whole operation himself. Zokar, as all of the royal children, received an allowance but this was no were near enough.

Traditionally the royal family, and noble families as a whole, did not concern themselves with financial matters. They drew their incomes from their lands and other holdings, such as ships and mines. They left the 'dirty' aspects of dealing with such things on a daily basis to stewards and other servants. They turned up their noses at merchants and all other 'cash breeders'.

Zokar, already seen and shunned as a disgrace, did not have this prejudice. He invested his allowance in various merchants throughout the Fire Nation and the colonies; he bought shares in almost everything that affected both the military and the civilian world. Ships, factories, mines; even street stalls and many more. Chen had suggested they also invest in casinos and taverns. Zokar had been suspicious of his motives at first but upon reflection he saw the validity of the argument, especially in areas near military bases. Chen had then mentioned brothels and Zokar had put his foot down, he did have some royal dignity.

All these investments, though they greatly upset Woo's, who had been put in charge of managing them, sense of propriety they for the most part proved extremely profitable. Especially as he, a member of the royal family did not pay taxes.

With money now secured they turned their attention to members. Zokar had not forgotten the boy Lǎoshǔ from his first battle in the colonies and his fighting style. Zokar sent for him, his unit having been sent back to the Fire Nation to recoup their losses, shortly after he met with Chen. Lǎoshǔ entered the palace with a look of barely suppressed terror wearing a uniform rigorously cleaned. When he was ushered into Zokar's presence he bowed with such vigor one would think he was in the presence of Agni himself.

"Rise." Said Zokar formally; Lǎoshǔ slowly rose to his feet though he kept his eyes downcast. As he did so Zokar took the opportunity to study him. Lǎoshǔ was indeed short; several inches shorter than average, and his skin bore signs of diseases suffered in the past caused by malnutrition and poor living conditions. As he looked up his eyes held the barely repressed fear that commoners always had when they found themselves the subject of interest of those of higher social standing. Azula reveled in it, Zokar found it vaguely annoying and inefficient. If a person was so nervous they could not even look at you then they could hardly perform at their peak ability.

"At ease;" he said, rising from his seat and coming to stand in front of Lǎoshǔ, "I have wanted to speak to you since the battle at the breach. You impressed me with your courage and that unusual style of fighting; I had never seen fighting before until that night."

"It is not so uncommon where I am from my lord." Said Lǎoshǔ, his eyes fixed firmly on the ground. "They are cheaper than swords and a good weapon for men like me of small stature."

Zokar nodded and went over to a nearby table and poured to glasses of wine. He walked back to Lǎoshǔ and handed him one, the other was so surprised that he nearly dropped the glass. Zokar resumed his seat and looked at Lǎoshǔ. "I spoke to your superior; he told me where you came by your rather unusual name." He saw Lǎoshǔ flinch and flush, with embarrassment or anger he was not sure. "I am curious though. With skills like those one would think that you would have stayed where you were and risen in one of the gangs."

Lǎoshǔ was silent for a moment before he slowly began to speak. "I suppose I could have my lord but I had no desire to. I grew up surrounded by criminals of all sorts. Pimps, drug dealers, thieves, rapist, murders and more. I wanted to be more than that; I saw soldiers at the taverns, saw how proud they were. I wanted that; I wanted their sense of…of…dignity and purpose. I wanted a better life, to be more than muscle for some petty crime lord." He ended with a derisive snort. He then seemed to remember to whom he was speaking to as he quickly shut up and seemed to be trying to shrink into himself.

"Your attitude seems to have undergone a change."

Lǎoshǔ now looked as if he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him. "Well;" he swallowed nervously, "My lord…I must confess it has. I was expecting a sense of brotherhood, of camaraderie, I did not find it. Most of the men in the army are from more 'respectable' origins and had little use for a bastard from the streets like me."

Zokar sat looking at Lǎoshǔ for several heartbeats and when he spoke he allowed just the smallest hint of anger to enter his voice.

"Look at me."

"My lord?"

"Did you not understand me? Servants and slaves avoid eye contact. You are a soldier of the Fire Nation. So what if others look down on you? You grew up in an environment that would have killed most them. You clawed your way out from a place where everything and everyone was against you solely by your own strength. You fought against overwhelming odds alongside a blood-crazed mad man. So never, ever, let me see you with your head down again."

Lǎoshǔ looked up stunned and clearly made uneasy by Zokar's tone, but he raised his head and did not lower it. Zokar walked up to him, even though he was the younger he was much taller than the other, and placed his hand on Lǎoshǔ's shoulder and locked gazes with him. Lǎoshǔ flinched at the touch but seemed unable to break eye contact. When Zokar spoke again the anger was gone

"I seek to form something new. An order of knights, elite warriors who will stand firm against all enemies; who will be both the sword and the shield of the Fire Nation, I believe there is a place for you in that order. I care not where they come from; all I care about is that they possess courage, skill and a spirit that will not fail. All who stand among them I shall count as my sword-brothers, united by duty, courage and honor. Will you stand among them; will you be my sword-brother?"

Lǎoshǔ just stared in stunned silence for a moment, incapable of speaking. Zokar waited patiently. Finally Lǎoshǔ found his voice.

"Yes. I will stand with you my lord."

Zokar nodded once. "Then I welcome you, Ash Knight Lǎoshǔ."

**Author's Notes: Well I got it done before I left. I hope you all liked it. Sorry if it was a bit short; I meant for it to be longer but when I got to this part it seemed a good place to stop. The next will be longer as I will introduce the rest of the knights. As they would not know about the title Sir I will insert Ash Knight in front of their names. I borrowed heavily from **_**Henry V **_**as you can probably tell. How did you like the speech was it to out of character for him please let me know in the reviews. That's it for now. I will close by asking you to please pray for those effected by the tornadoes and that those still missing will be found alive. Bye and may Jesus bless you all till next time.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone I am back. Still don't own anything. Chris Bradford owns the quote.**

_Only by binding together as a single force will we remain strong and unconquerable. -_ _Chris Bradford, The Way of the Dragon_

Shortly after Lǎoshǔ joined them the three of them were returning to the city after view the construction of the drill that War Minister Qin swore would allow them to finally breach the walls of Ba Sing Se. As they headed back to the palace Zokar noticed that a large crowd was moving in the direction of the warehouse district.

"What is going on here?" He asked his two companions. Chen shrugged and shook his head. Lǎoshǔ on the other hand seemed to have some idea.

"I believe they are going to the Blood Pit my lord."

"The what?" Asked Chen while Zokar arched his eyebrow.

"The Blood Pit is run by some of the local gangs. It is a kind of underground fight group they put together; they say they have something like it in the Earth Kingdom."

"Earth Rumble." Chen said. Zokar suppressed the urge to snort derisively; he too had heard of it. Though from what he heard the participants spent more time making ridiculous speeches than actually fighting; he doubted that any earthbender with any real talent whatsoever would be caught within a hundred miles of the thing.

"Yes, that's it;" said Lǎoshǔ, "Though here they have both benders and non-benders;" Lǎoshǔ paused as though reluctant to continue, "And sometimes, the fights are to the death."

"What!" Said Chen in a shocked voice. "This is allowed right here in the capital?"

Lǎoshǔ shrugged looking uncomfortable. "Well, it's not like most of the higher-ups care what goes on in that part of town, or are paid enough not to."

"Who participates in these fights?" Asked Zokar.

Lǎoshǔ shrugged, looking even more uncomfortable. "Mostly volunteers; people who want the money or street cred. Others are forced to; people who owe the gangs money, I even heard some are war captives."

Chen spluttered in outrage but Zokar was not surprised; cruelty and corruption seemed to be Fire Nation characteristics, though he suspected that they were not restricted to his own people. What did interest him was the thought of benders and non-benders fighting against each other. He suddenly decided that he wanted to see.

He turned to the palanquin bearers. "Follow the crowd." He then sat back and ignored the puzzled looks his companions gave him.

The fights were being held in a large smoke- filled warehouse in the slum district. There was a large and raucous crowd already gathered when they arrived. In addition to those who were obviously gang members and residents of the area Zokar saw a number of soldiers, merchants and even slumming nobles.

They took their seats on the tiered wooden benches that rose above a ring in the center of the building. Into the center of the ring a man dressed in a parody of courtly fashion walked and turned about in a circle.

"WELCOME TO THE BLOOD PIT!" At this the crow broke out in wild cheering. "WE HAVE QUITE THE SHOW FOR TONIGHT. LET'S START OFF BIG! DEATH MATCH!"

The crowed screamed even louder. "DEATH MATCH! DEATH MATCH!"

The announcer waited for the crow to quiet down before continuing. "THEN LET'S BEGIN! HERE WE HAVE THE FLAMING DOOM!" Here he gestured to one side of the ring where a young man entered. He looked to be in his early twenties and wore a sleeveless jacket and trousers that came to his knees. His wiry arms were covered in gang tattoos. "AND HERE WE HAVE HOONG THE HAMMER!" On the other side there came a second man of roughly the same age. Unlike the first he was a large man, even taller and burlier than Zokar. He was clean shaven but had hair going down past his shoulders in a ponytail. His torso was bare and Zokar saw he had a single tattoo on his right forearm and a large ragged scare on the left side of his head. His skin showed evidence of multiple burns. "ARE YOU READY?" Cried the announcer. "THEN BEGIN!" So saying he leap from the ring.

The two combatants wasted no time on words, they just attacked. Hoong gave a great bellow and swung the great two-handed hammer he held over his head. His opponent held out his hands, palms up, and flames burst into being and these he launched in the form of whips at Hoong.

Zokar nearly flinched; though he himself was not a bender he had grown up surrounded by them, so he knew what bending was supposed to look like. This was not it. The man's foot work was all wrong; it was completely out of synch with his arm movements and all the screaming he was doing could not be good for his breath control. The man was managing to generate a lot of fire regardless of his poor technique and it certainly looked intimidating; but it was clear that he could not keep it up for long; the man was clearly a gang tough who was more used to using his bending to bully and intimidate others than for fighting.

Hoong, however, seemed completely unintimidated and rushed on. He could not avoid all of the flames launched at him but he seemed to be picking which ones he allowed to hit him and none seemed to seriously hurt him. His opponent became more desperate and his bending became more frantic and even less coordinated and effective. Hoong was suddenly beside him. His hair, skin and clothing were singed and burned in several places but he seemed not to mind. He bashed his opponent in the face with the haft of his hammer, knocking the man to the ground. He then swung his hammer up and brought it down, crushing the man's head to pulp. As the crowd cheered Zokar rose and left the others right behind him.

Several days later Zokar sat in a tavern which he owned and which he had learned Hoong liked to frequent. He did not have to wait long. Hoong entered the tavern and immediately went to the bar. The bartender obviously already knew what the man liked as he wordlessly took a bottle from under the counter and set it down on the counter before Hoong. When the man reached for coins to pay the bartender shook his head and pointed to Zokar. Zokar had earlier spoken to the barman and had told him that he would be covering Hoong's bar bill that night; the man in question came over to where Zokar was sitting and looked down at him.

"I hear I have you to thank for the free booze. Why; and what is a kid like you doing in a bar in the first place?"

Zokar, still seated, looked up at him. "Simple I have a proposition for you."

Hoong looked at him. "What are you talking about kid?" He demanded.

Zokar rose from his seat. "Not here; follow me." So saying he rose and headed upstairs.

"This had better not be anything weird." Muttered Hoong as he followed Zokar up the stairs.

Zokar entered a room he had engage earlier in the evening sitting down in a chair he turned his attention to Hoong. "Do you know who I am?"

"Look kid. Thanks again for the booze but I am not in the mood to play guessing games." So saying Hoong turned to leave.

"Very well; I am Prince Zokar and you are the pit fighter known as Hoong the Hammer. Also known as Hoong the Deserter."

Hoong turned back to glare at Zokar; causing him to drop his hand down to his sword hilt. "So the royals are playing bounty hunters now?" Hoong spat out.

"Hardly; though I am curious as to why you deserted."

Hoong snorted in derisively. "Why do you care?"

"Because as you are a deserter and by law your life is forfeit. Before I claim it however I want to know why."

"Why, why, you want to know why!" Hoong yelled, becoming increasingly angry. "I'll show you why!" He tore his shirt open and thrust his finger at his tattoo. "This is why!"

Zokar stared at it. It was the number 41. "Ah, I see, you were with the 41st "

"Yes;" said Hoong, grief now mingling with anger, "I was in the 41st. Oh we were all so proud; off to serve Home Land and Fire Lord. Then on our first mission they marched us into an ambush. Almost all my friends were killed or wounded; when we got home I heard rumors that we had been sacrificed so that the 32nd could gain an advantage in the battle. I felt betrayed and I just couldn't take it so I slipped away from the hospital."

"The capital hardly seems the place to run to." Zokar commented dryly.

"Well; I am not anybody important, I doubt anyone even bothered to look for me."

Zokar nodded in acknowledgement of this statement.

Hoong fidgeted. "So what happens now?"

Zokar reached into his robe and brought out a scroll which bore the royal seal. "Do you know what this is?" Hoong shook his head. "It is a royal pardon; I am forming a special unit and I have already seen that you have the skills needed to be a part of it. Agree to join and this pardon shall be yours."

"Why would I want to go back to serving those who betrayed me and my friends?" Hoong snarled.

"Because it is your duty to do so."

"Duty! I don't owe anything to those who betrayed me, and who are you to lecture me on duty?"

"One who was betrayed as well." Hoong just looked at him, clearly not understanding him. "You know about my recent actions in the colonies. Officially I was there to help raise troop morale and show the royal presence. Unofficially; my father has always despised me for not being a bender, I sent there to die."

"Then why…" Hoong said in stunned disbelief.

"Because it was my duty; both to the Fire Nation and to the Fire Lord, we who have taken oaths of service are bound to them. They may not appreciate our service. They may not honor our loyalty. They may despise us, they may hate us and the may betray us. Those things are irrelevant. They do not absolve us of our duty."

"When did you swear any such oaths?" Hoong asked.

"I am a member of the royal family; my oaths were taken with my first breath." Zokar stared at Hoong for several seconds. "That is my dedication to duty; even when those I serve betray me I serve because it is my duty as it is yours. If you join me I will be your commanding officer; then I will have a duty to you as well. I will speak truthfully; I will demand much of you, I will push you. I will expose you to great danger and if necessary I will sacrifice you. I give you my word, however, that I will not do so needlessly nor will I ever demand anything of you that I will not do myself."

Hoong stood there staring at him for several seconds. Then he found his voice. "Just tell me one thing; were the rumors true were we betrayed?"

"Yes." Zokar answered simply and without hesitation. Hoong seemed to grapple with this; wither with the knowledge that he had been right or with Zokar's blunt answer Zokar could not tell.

Finally Hoong spoke. "I will serve."

Several weeks later Zokar was in the palace for the celebration of his father's birthday. Unlike the modest, if not non-existent, celebrations that marked his own birthdays this was a vast and lavish affair. Nobles and high ranking officers were everywhere, along with a number of rich merchants. Zokar kept to the side most of the evening. Most people did not want to talk to him anyway and he disliked small talk and had never learned who most of these people were anyway.

Instead he watched his sister. Their father, as custom dictated, remained on his high seat while his children, or at least his daughter, mingled with the assembled well-wishers. Azula was clearly in her element moving among the guest with grace and an underline of menace. By watching her and who she spoke to he was able to determine who was and who was not important. He was curious though, why invite so many people whom were clearly not thought of as important?

It annoyed him that he did not know. Until now he had taken little interest in politics; oh he had been taught how the government worked of course, but he had never really studied it closely. Azula had once called the whole thing a great game; if that was true then it was a game Zokar did not know how to play. Not learning how to play had been a mistake, he saw that now; he had to learn and he had to learn fast. Fortunately there was an exhalent teacher available. He looked over at his sister; it would gale most men to ask their little sister for help but to Zokar it was simply the most efficient way to learn. Besides, he was used to her taunts and superior attitude and they no longer bothered him.

His musings were interrupted by someone calling his name. Turning he saw Chen approaching accompanied by two very attractive women. He had not them but he knew who they were. Chen had described them as two of the most famous, and most expensive, courtesans in the capital.

"Zokar, I have to introduce you to a few people." Before Zokar could say anything Chen grabbed him and pulled him along, the beauties in tow. Chen brought him over to two young men of about eighteen. What Zokar noticed first about them that they were identical twins, a rarity in the Fire Nation, their clothing and general demeanor clearly gave them away as nobles.

Chen seemed to know them. "Prince Zokar allow me to introduce you to Lee and Dee; sons of General Hong, lord of the Dragon Back Mountains. Don't bother trying to figure out which is which no one can ever tell anyway." Now Zokar knew who they were. The Hong's had been lords of the Dragon Back Mountains for generations. Located near the center of the Fire Nation; they had supplied the Fire Nation with approximately eighty percent of the nation's iron making them one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the nation.

The two gave Chen an annoyed look before turning to look at Zokar.

"Greetings my prince;" said the one on the right.

"Allow us to apologize for our good friend Chen's rudeness." Said the one on the left.

"I am Lee." Said the one on the right.

"I am Dee." Stated the one on the left.

"We are honored to make your acquaintance." They said in unison. The two ladies laughed at the twins theatrics. Chen rolled his eyes in amused exasperation. Zokar's face remained as impassive as ever.

"I am honored to make your acquaintance as well." He said to them.

"We were speaking to Chen and he was told us about the unit you are forming." Lee said.

"He told us you wanted only skilled non-benders." Dee said.

"We believe that we could be an asset to you." They said, again in unison.

Zokar gave them a long, long look. Having them in the unit could be good; they would bring much prestige to it and their family's political pull could help ensure its continuation. On the other hand; he found he was very protective of the unit; it was his, his creation, the thing he was counting on to show what he and other non-benders could do. He did not want it to become viewed as a kind of club to play around in.

He brought his attention back to the twins. "Follow me." He then turned and left the hall with the Chen and the twins following behind.

They left the palace and went to the training fields outside it. Here Zokar instructed the twins to don training gear. As members of the nobility he knew they would have, or at least should have, some training, but he wanted to see their skill.

His mind drifted back as he strapped on his protective padding. After the he had received all the training he could from the guards his father had summoned Master Piandao and had requested that he train Zokar in the way of the sword as he had with Zukp. Piandao had spoken with Zokar and then refused. Ozai had not cared much and Piandao had departed. Azula had claimed later she had followed him as he left and had heard him speaking to his servant. The servant had asked why he had refused to train the prince. To which Piandao had responded that Zokar had the soul of a killer not a swordsman.

Zokar remembered the pain and anger he had felt at the news. He had secretly admired Piandao, a non-bender who had risen so high and gained the respect of benders and non-benders alike. It was therefore a double blow when Piandao, like everyone else in his life, had rejected him. He shrugged off the memory, it had been a long time ago, and he had buried those feelings so deep he no longer felt them.

There had been no more talk of an instructor; his father had not really cared and Zokar had known that Piandao's opinion would have been shared by all the other sword masters and any that would have taught him would have done so only to curry favor with the Fire Lord. Zokar would not have wanted to be trained be someone like that anyway. So he had set out to teach himself. He had gone with what he already knew and tried to work out what should come next. He practiced for hours every day; while Azula worked with her instructors on her firebending he worked on his swordsmanship. At first he worked alone; then he spared with the guards, first one at a time then two at a time and then more. On a good he could now hold his own against five.

The book Azula had given him had done more than just inspire the creation of the Ashen Knights. The book had illustrations of swords of unusual designs as well others forms of sword fighting that he had never seen before. He had instructed the royal armorers to forge a sword and armor like those in the book and had set to work learning and incorporating the moves in the book with those he already knew.

After donning the pads he stepped into training ring and stood in the center. The twins also entered and stood on either side of him. At a signal given by Chen the match began. The twins began to circle around Zokar. He considered rushing one but was unsure if he could deal with one before his brother attacked Zokar from behind. Before he could decide one of the brothers struck his blow aimed at his chest; while his brother launched a similar attack aimed at Zokar's back.

Zokar charged into the one attacking his front. He used his own practice sword to knock his opponent's aside and dove into a roll. Coming out of the roll he turned to face his opponents. He had been hoping that they would crash into each other and he could strike while they sought to untangle themselves from one another. Unfortunately that had not happened; the one attacking his front had gracefully pivoted on one foot so that he not only avoided his brother but was once again facing Zokar. Seeing this Zokar decided that he could not remain on the defensive and charged; they had obviously trained extensively to fight together; he had to separate them and force them to fight alone.

He took the one on the left. This made his strokes a bit awkward as he had to strike across his body but he hoped to take them by surprise and off balance them. It didn't work; his target sprang to the side and lashed out at his head. As he raised his blade to ward off the blow his other opponent dashed behind him and struck at the back of his legs. Zokar responded instantly; he threw his torso back, allowing his opponents blade to pass over him. Leaning back he thrust out with his blade at the one attacking his legs forcing him to abandon his attacks and jump back. Righting himself Zokar brought his blade down on the blade of his opponent in front of him. The force of the blow forced his opponent back several steps and that was when Zokar saw his chance.

Piandao had been right; he did not have a soul that could learn the way of the sword. He cared nothing for meditation, painting, calligraphy or any of the other disciplines that were supposed to create balance in the mind of a sword master. He did not train with the sword to find balance or inner peace; he trained so that he had the ability to win. So he focused solely on power and technique, and the ability to fight dirty.

Before his opponent could recover he let go of his sword with his left hand and punched him in the face. The blow, and its unexpectedness, seemed to stun his opponent. Before he could recover Zokar ran up and kneed him in the groin. Air rushed from the man's lungs and he bent almost double. Zokar grabbed him by the back of the neck and belt and hurled him into his brother who had been rushing up behind them. They collided and fell to the ground in a tangled heap. Zokar stood over them sword pointed at them.

"I win."

Struggling to disentangle themselves they glared up at him.

Zokar raised a hand to forestall any angry words. "Yes; that was a low and dishonorable thing to do. But battle, real battle, is not about honor. It is about winning. It is about killing your enemies before they kill you and those beside you. You know that now. You two are two of the finest swordsmen I have ever met and could indeed be an asset. If you still desire it there is a place for you both among us."

They wordlessly looked at each other for a moment and back to him and grinned. Zokar nodded and offered them a hand up now, he decided, the Ash Knights were assembled and they could begin.

**Author's Notes: Darn that was a long one. Well; all of the knights are assembled next chapter we'll have things start to happen. I would love to hear about what you think of his reasoning and oratory skills. I am sure you don't agree with him on some things, I sure don't, but that is how he sees the world. That is his strength and his weakness. I am trying to show how he attracts people to him; the sheer force of his convictions gives him a kind of magnetic personality that attracts others to him please let me know if I got that right. Will be leaving next week so this is the last update for a while but next update will be multiple-chapter update so please be patient. May Jesus bless you all till then and please keep praying for the people victimized by the tornadoes. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Notes: Hello everyone, still only own my characters, though I will have some fun with the others too. As always Martin owns Game of Thrones.**

_Who do you serve? The realm, my lord, someone must-Lord Stark and Varys, Game of Thrones _

Once again Zokar knelt before his father. This time the throne room was empty of officers and courtiers, though an almost undetectable bulge in one of the curtains showed they were not entirely alone. Zokar wondered if their father knew both his children where present; most likely he did. Ozai had a great love for intrigue and secrecy, his rise to the throne was proof of that, and it seemed his youngest child shared that love; something he doubtless encouraged. Then his father began to speak and Zokar dismissed such thoughts so he could focus all his attention on his father's words.

"I have been keeping an eye on you and your…companions; you seem to be making good progress in their training."

Zokar bowed his head in acknowledgement and ignored to slightly mocking tone in which it had been delivered. In truth, there were some grounds for mockery. While all of his knights were all skilled with weapons and were learning to work together and were absorbing his anti-bending tactics; the mounted combat left something to be desired. As his horse, Night Shadow, was the only one of its kind known to exist he had procured kimono-rhinos for the rest. While Chen and the Hong twins, as members of the nobility, already knew how to ride, Hoong and Lǎoshǔ did not. Oh, they were learning but it had been a trial for all involved. Lǎoshǔ, for example had to be broken of the unfortunate habit of dropping his weapons in order to wrap both arms around his mount's neck. While Hoong had nearly broken several of his limbs in a number of nasty falls which had also done much to improve the vocabulary of those present at the time.

"You honor us, both with your attention and your praise." Zokar's voice was free of all emotion, including sincerity.

"Indeed;" said his father dryly, "However, I believe the time has come to test the in battle. As you know War Minister Qin's drill will be completed within the next two years. When that happens the siege of Ba Sing Se will recommence. When it does the army there will be reinforced from troops drawn from garrisons in the occupied territories; unfortunately several governors in the southern territories have reported outbreaks of rebellion. They have men enough to hold the larger towns and cities but have had to abandon most of the smaller villages and outlying countryside. If we strip their garrisons for the siege the situation there may become untenable. General Hong has begun to assemble a force here in the Fire Nation; once it is assembled he shall sweep through the area and suppress these uprisings. Once that is complete he shall reinforce his army with all the men those garrisons can spare and march north to Ba Sing Se.

"Are my knights and I to join General Hong's force?"

"Yes, but not here. Off the coast near the territories in question are a chain of islands, the Jade Islands. These have become home to a number of pirates. As theses may prove a threat to Hong's supply lines after he lands it was decided at the last council to clear them out. A task force is being assembled to deal with them. It shall be under the command of the senior captain, Captain Zhao. You and your men shall be under his command and assist him in any way he deems necessary. After the pirates have been cleared out he shall go to the port city of Ho-Dow. There you shall disembark and await Hong's arrival."

Zokar bowed and departed. As he left the throne room he saw the curtain rustle as if something behind it had moved.

Azula crept from her hiding place and headed toward the courtyard for her morning firebending lessons. She smiled quite pleased with herself. It had all gone exactly as she had planned. Earlier in the week she had dined with Father and he had told her all about the coming campaign and had then asked her opinion on it. This was, she knew, another of the tests he gave her to prove to him that she was worthy of being named his heir. She had anticipated this and had done a thorough study of all the reports to the area. She had pointed out the pirates and the danger they posed. Father had dismissed her concerns; the pirates, he had told her with contempt in his voice, were cowards and would never risk the ire of the Fire Nation by attacking its ships.

She had not been so sure; Hong's supply ships would make very tempting targets and the pirates had not been the target of the Fire Nation's wrath for some time, the fear the Fire Nation Navy may have died down in their minds, which would be unacceptable. She had pointed this out to Father and had finally convinced him to send a naval taskforce in to clear them out. When she had suggested Zhao for command he had smiled small smile of understanding and approval. He thought she was recommending Zhao because of his family connections and wished to secure his loyalty to her by handing him an easy victory.

The next part had been tricky; she wanted Zokar with the fleet but she could not be obvious about it. So instead she arranged for War Minister Qin, who owed her a favor, to raise the question of who would command the ground forces attached to the fleet. As she had known he would General Shu had suggested Zokar and his Ash Knights. His motivation was clear; Shu was a firm believer in the supremacy of benders over non-benders and the Ash Knights, a unit dedicated to fighting benders, made him uneasy. He wished to see them fail or, even better, killed and Prince Zokar disgraced. Azula knew if her brother was to fail General Shu and his cronies would ensure he could never try again. Father had known this as well and had given his consent regardless.

Yes, everything had gone exactly as she wanted; Father had been right in part she was trying to gain the loyalty of an officer; only it was Zokar, not Zhao, she was after. Zhao was an idiot and would doubtlessly bungle this assignment, but she had every confidence that Zokar would find a way to salvage victory from the situation. She also had every confidence that Zhao, who was a far better plotter than warrior, would find a way to shove Zokar to the side and claim all the credit.

To have all the honor and glory he had earned stolen from him a second time would be a blow even worse than the first, one insult on top of another. Then she would begin to woo him into her camp by being sympathetic to his loose. She would be sure to point out the Zhao had beaten him in the realm of politics and intrigue, an area which until now Zokar had remained aloof. She would offer her instruction in such matters so it would not happen again and one he accepted her help she would slowly bring him under her control. Zokar would doubtlessly suspect that she was up to something but the sting of having glory and honor that were his due stolen from him and the prospect of having it happen again with his future victories would doubtless overcome any reluctance he might have.

Her plans for him were long term. While Zhao would walk away from this battle with all the official honors the sailors and soldiers would know who had really won the battle. Word of this would spread throughout the military, especially if Zokar managed a few more victories, and his standing in the army would grow; which was exactly what she wanted.

Father would live for many years… but not forever. When he died she would become Fire Lord but the title may not go uncontested. Zuko and Uncle Iroh might return and one or both of them could present their claim to the throne. She wasn't concerned with Zuko; he was a miserable failure and would have hardly any support, but if Uncle aided him or pressed his own claim that would be another matter.

Despite his failure to take Ba Sing Se Uncle remained popular with the army and the citizenry and there were still occasional rumblings that it was not right that the younger son should get the throne and not the elder. Yes, if Uncle got involved he would have much support.

She knew the nobles and officers favored her but some might still harbor loyalty to Uncle. Most likely most would pay her lip service and then find ways to stay out of the whole affair till a clear winner was and then enter the fray. To counter her uncle's popularity she needed someone like Zokar. Someone who would be as popular as Uncle and secure the loyalty of the army but who could not become Fire Lord himself; someone indebted to her for all his honors he had won. Someone she could control through that debt.

She would control him. She **had **to control him**.** She felt her throat and remembered his hand locked around it and shuddered. Because when you controlled something you no longer feared it.

**Author's Notes: Well here you are. Sorry it was a bit on the short side. Did you notice how the two siblings referred to Ozai? I intend to keep it that way to reflect their relationships with him. Do you think I got Azula right and what do you think of her relationship to Zokar? Bye for now please pray for Shawn who has cancer and may Jesus bless you. **


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Notes: Hello again everyone last set up chapter till we get back to the action. I still don't own A: TLAB or Game of Thrones Martin and Nickelodeon do I just play with their stuff.**

_You've a long way to travel and in bad company-Game of Thrones episode "Fire and Blood"_

After leaving the throne room Zokar returned to his quarters and sent Woo to fetch his Ash Knights to him. They all lived in the palace with him; each of the suits belonging to members of the royal family had a number of other suits attached to them. These were for the use of the guests and companions of the royal family. While those attached to Zuko's rooms had never been used Azula's had housed the Ladies Mai and Ty Lee before their departure to the colonies, Lady Mai to accompany her family to her father's latest official posting and Lady Ty Lee to join the circus of all things.

Sitting down in a chair Zokar thought of Lady Ty Lee; she had always been a puzzle to him. To most of the world she had been nothing but an overly hyper and friendly air-head who thought of nothing boys and having fun. For a long time Zokar had thought so as well. That had changed a year or two before she left. He had looked over at his sister and her friends and Lady Ty Lee had been **looking **at him; as if she could see right through him and all the barriers he had put up. This had startled him and he had kept a much closer eye on her and he had seen how mistaken he was about her. As one who lived his life hiding his inner self from those around him he recognized a mask when he saw one and Lady Ty Lee wore a mask and he did not know why.

The arrival of the Ash Knights interrupted his thoughts. They entered the room and sat in the chairs that had been placed there for them. Lǎoshǔ took a seat next to Hoong, as the only other common born Hoong did not make him uneasy as the nobles did. The Hong twins, like they always did, sat next to each other and Chen sat next to Zokar.

"The Fire Lord summoned me this morning;" Zokar began, "We have our first assignment." At this the others all perked up with interest. "Some of you will doubtless be pleased to learn that, at least at first, we will not be required to ride." He noted the relieved looks that Hoong and Lǎoshǔ shared before he continued. "We will, in fact be sailing." Seeing the puzzled looks on their faces he relayed the contents of his orders. When he mentioned that they would be joining General Hong the twins shared a look that seemed a mixture of hope, eagerness and trepidation. Zokar was distracted from this by a disgusted groan given by Chen.

"Zhao, why did it have to be Zhao?" Seeing the looks the others were giving him he continued. "I've heard both my father and brother speak of him on several occasions and they both say that he is the most incompetent, egotistical halfwit in the entire Fire Nation Navy. According to them even his firebending teacher considered him a failure and the man would never have been promoted, or even accepted into the navy, if it weren't for his family's political connections."

This did not sound good. While Zokar was usually not one to listen to gossip and rumors, look what they said about him, Chen was usually to be relied upon for accurate information on such matters. Looking at his knights he saw that this revelation was having a negative impact on their moral. This would not do, he needed them at their best for this, their first test. "Actually;" he said, "This is all to the good." Seeing the confused faces he explained, "After this we will be famous as the unit so good we cannot lose, even when commanded by Zhao." The others stared at him for a moment then several grins appeared. Satisfied Zokar rose to go meet Zhao.

Since it seemed that this first meeting would be a power struggle Zokar decided to wear his new armor. His servants helped him don it; first came the laying of quilted padding. Over this came the chainmail that came in two parts. The first was a pair of leggings that covered everything from his waist to his toes. The second was a shirt that covered his arms to the wrists and came down to halfway between his waist and knees with slits in the front and back to allow him to sit on a saddle with strategically placed cords of leather to tighten the slack. This had proven difficult for the royal armors as they had never made it before and it took them several tries to get it right. Over the chainmail on his feet went heavy knee-high boots with metal attached to the top and toes of them. Over these on his shins were placed steel greaves. On his chest he wore a breast and back piece of hammered steel; these had not been as difficult as the chainmail because the armors were more familiar metal plates because of the ones used in steamship construction. On his hands he wore heavy leather gloves with metal attached to the fingers and back of the hands; on his writs he wore steel bracers. Oh his shoulders he wore pauldrons that came halfway to his elbows. Since he was only going to the navel yards he did not put on the chainmail coif and cylindrical helmet. In contrast to standard Fire Nation armor which was red in color he had had his darkened to midnight black.

After donning his armor his servants buckled on his new sword. It was longer than a jian and sported a larger hilt with a larger cross guard. So clad he mounted his horse and rode for the base. As he rode by he drew many looks from those he passed. These were a mixture of the respect all members of the royal family drew and something else. It was not fear, not quite, rather something more a kin to bewilderment. He was just to different, his lack of fire, his emotionlessness, the rumors of his wildness in battle even his hair, which to make wearing the coif and helmet easier he shaved close to the skull making it impossible to wear a topknot. Put them all together and he was just too different, it made people uneasy.

The meeting did not go well. On his arrival he had informed Zhao's adjutant that he was there and wished to see the captain. Said captain then proceeded to keep him waiting for over an hour before finally consenting to seeing him.

"Prince Zokar; I do apologize, with so many important details to deal with preparing for the expedition some things are bound to get overlooked."

"No apologies are necessary I assure you." Zokar said. _So, it is to be like this._ Zokar thought, noting both the casual and not so subtle dismissal of him; as well as Zhao's standing far closer than decorum dictated in a clear attempt to make Zokar uncomfortable by invading his personal space. Zokar could not help but feel a little disappointed; he had expected something like this and had hoped for more subtlety. He could only hope the man was better at strategy than mind games.

"Thank you; and while we are discussing manners, please allow me to remind you that for this mission you are under my command. I am sure as a member of the royal family you are unfamiliar with certain military protocol but in the navy, lower ranks are summoned by higher ranks, not the other way around."

Zokar bowed his head. "I apologize and in my turn I ask forgiveness."

"Just see it does not happen again. As for the coming actions against the pirates you will be briefed along with all the other officers, whatever rank you have outside this campaign means nothing here are we clear?"

"Yes."

"Good, though in future you will address me as 'Sir'. We sail at dawn the day after tomorrow, have your men aboard tomorrow before sundown. You are dismissed." 

**Author's Notes: Well set up is done, next chapter we'll be back to blood and gore. How did you all like his armor? I wanted it to have a primitive feel to it; after all, this is the first time they have made armor like this. I went for the greaves and gloves because they would not be proficient the first time with making flexible moving parts like gauntlets and armored boots. For the pauldrons I thought of Isabella's from Heroes of Might and Magic 5, a single piece of metal rather than layered and not covering the inside of the arm like later armor did. For the helmet it is the same as the Crusader Great Helm. Finally the sword; it's the same as Aragorn's first sword in **_**The Fellowship of the Ring**_**, lacks originality perhaps but I like it. Well that's it thanks for reading please review and keep praying for Shawn and everyone else who needs it, which is fact everyone and may Jesus bless you all.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Notes: Well I am back and as promised bring on the Blood! Before we begin as always I don't own any thing. Niccolo Machiavelli owns **_**The Prince.**_

_Fortune is a woman, and if you wish to master her, you must strike and beat her, and you will see that she allows herself to be more easily vanquished by the rash and the violent than by those who proceed more slowly and coldly.-The Prince_

The fleet departed on schedule and made good time for the Jade Islands. The fleet consisted of one Empire-class ship, Legacy of Sozin, half a dozen cruisers and eight older ships similar to the one his brother was hunting the avatar on; these last had all had their single trebuchets replaced with ballista. They were to serve primarily in a scouting role.

In addition to his own Ash Knights Zokar had command of the other ground forces with the fleet; these consisted of approximately three hundred men. The contingent would normally be much larger but as no amphibious operations were planed the rest had been sent to General Hong's force, he would see to the pirate bases when he arrived, the fleet's job was to deal with their ships. This also explained why of his entire contingent only twenty were firebenders.

His relationship with Zhao had not improved; the captain clearly relished having power over a member of the royal family, particularly one whom he knew was not in the Fire Lord's favor. He refused Zokar's request that more ground troops be requested and forbade Zokar to make use of the firebenders attached to the ships and not under Zokar's command. Seeing that Zhao was denying him simply for the pleasure of spiting him and further efforts would be futile he avoided the captain whenever possible and spent his time drilling or reading books on naval strategy.

They reached their destination without incident, a fact which disturbed several of the officers, they had seen ships as they approached the islands but these had all stayed well beyond their reach and had quickly disappeared over the horizon. When they were several hours from the islands Zhao called a council of all the ship commanders and Zokar as the ground force commander. When they were all assembled Zhao unrolled a map of the islands and his aids began placing markers on it.

"These gentlemen;" began Zhao, "Are the Jade Islands. As you can see they are arranged in a crescent arch forming a natural harbor. Here;" he pointed to the island in the center of the arch, "Is where we believe the pirate base to be located. My plan is simple; at first light Legacy of Sozin, along with the cruisers, will enter the bay and engage the pirates; meanwhile the smaller ships will form a perimeter on the other side of the islands and attack any ships that evade the attacking force."

One of the captains indicated he wished to speak. "Do we have an estimation of their numbers and wither they aware of our coming?"

Zhao made a dismissive gesture. "All our reports on their numbers come from survivors and those are too contradictory to be of any use; as for their knowing, even if they do, what of it? They prey on merchants; they don't have the stomach for a straight-up fight with a fleet as large as ours, they will run at the first sight of us."

Zokar spoke up. "Captain, with all respect, this plan seems ill conceived. We cannot assume that. The mere fact that we are here shows they can threaten our navy; and to sail in without further intelligence seems unwise. We should deploy the smaller ships to perform the duty we brought them for, to scout ahead of the fleet."

"Prince Zokar;" said Zhao, anger clearly entering his voice." I will thank you to remember that I am the commanding officer of this expedition and a naval captain; I do not need you to advise me on naval tactics. Your brother also had the habit of speaking out of turn in war councils on matters he knew nothing about." Here he seemed to regain his cool and his voice became mockingly sarcastic. "I would hate for a similar fate to befall you." He turned to address the room. "This council is over, dismissed."

As dawn broke the ships sailed into the bay, Zhao had the Legacy of Sozin in front with three cruisers on either side forming a V formation. Zokar was on the bridge with Zhao and most of his senior staff. His Ash Knights were with the rest of the ground troops on the ship. Like him they had donned their armor.

He had offered to have armor like his made for them but they had respectfully declined. They all agreed that it offered more protection, but it cost too much maneuverability. They did have a point; the weight had surprised Zokar and even with his strength his speed was not quite what it had been before. He would have liked to train more with it before going into battle with it but that was no longer an option. Instead they wore the armor of royal firebenders, but were the armor was normally red and black the armor worn by the Ash Knights was dyed an ash-gray, clearly marking them as part of the Ash Knights unit and not firebenders.

"Ships spotted!" Cried the lookout, scanning the bay Zokar saw several ships of both Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe design. They had clearly been trying to leave the bay but at the sight of the oncoming fleet they turned and headed back into the bay. Though the tide was with them they going against the wind and Zhao's fleet gained steadily on them.

"As you can see Prince Zokar;" said Zhao, a smirk on both his face and in his voice, "The pirates are fleeing; it would appear that your fears were quite unfounded." Turning to the speaking tube he addressed the ship's signal man. "Signal the cruisers. Tell them to break off and engage the enemy ships, they are not to let one escape."

Zokar watched the cruisers sail off, each eager to claim a kill, and felt uneasy. This was all going too smoothly; if any of the ships they had seen were pirates they would have had more than enough time to evacuate. Still, he had to admit, he had had no naval experience before now. Perhaps he was not giving Zhao enough credit.

"What is that?" Someone asked.

Focusing ahead Zokar was confronted by a massive fog bank rolling towards them, and it was traveling against the wind.

"Waterbenders!" Hissed Zokar as the fog enveloped the ship. It was so thick that he could not even see the deck below him, let alone any of the other ships. Everything seemed to go strangely silent, even the engines seemed less noisy. Then he heard a number of whistling sounds, barely audible at first but growing steadily louder, and then a cry went up.

"Incoming!"

Barely had the cry been raised when a number of large boulders tore through the fog to crash into the ship. Though he could not see the impacts through the fog he felt the ship rock from the hits. Several men were thrown to the deck and only by grabbing on to something was Zokar able to keep his feet. Then another impact shook the ship; this one struck much closer to the bridge and the glass of the viewing ports shattered, glass cutting several crewmen. Then something both large and heavy crashed onto the roof of the bridge causing it to partially collapse. Fortunately Zokar was on the side that did not collapse; others, including Zhao, were not so fortunate and the screams of wounded and dying men filled the air.

Adding to the noise an anxious voice came over the speaking tube. "Bridge, this is the engine room! They must have hit the smoke stacks! Pressure is building in the boilers! If we don't shut them down they're going to blow!"

Zokar got to his feet, having been knocked down by the last impact, and made his way to the tube. "This is Prince Zokar. Senior Captain Zhao has been injured and I am assuming command of the fleet! Kill the engines!" Turning to Zhao's adjutant, Senior Lieutenant Kai, he said, "You are now acting Junior Captain, take command of the ships!" Technically there was some doubt whether Zokar could either promote anyone or take charge; but Kai seemed quite willing to go along with it and grateful for someone, even a teenage boy, giving orders. Being a subordinate of Zhao, it seemed, was not a job that encouraged a lot of independent thinking.

Just then the fog began to lift, with ambush sprung the benders generating it turned their efforts elsewhere. When it lifted Zokar beheld chaos.

The previously nearly empty bay was now filled with craft of all sizes. Fighting ships of the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes, their decks crowded with armed men, smaller craft that darted about, some moving so swiftly that they had to have waterbenders aboard and farther back three massive cargo haulers which sat unusually low in the water. Something compelled him to look at one with his telescope. The decks of the ships had mostly been removed leaving only a small section upon which five men stood. With the deck gone Zokar could see into the hold and it was filled with rocks. Even as he watched the men made earthbending movements and several large boulders came up from the hold to hurl themselves at the invading fleet.

The Fire Nation ships had by now recovered from their shock and were firing at the pirate vessels, but they were each separated and surrounded by enemy ships and there was no coordination, each ship randomly firing at whatever was closest.

The enemy, on the other hand, was attacking in a highly coordinated fashion. Zokar watched as more stones were hurled at one cruiser which was firing on several ships that darted around it. As the stones arched over the ship the earthbenders made more movements and the stones burst apart, the shards raining down onto the deck. Crewmen fell to the deck, some thrashing and screaming, others lay still and the trebuchets fell silent. As soon as that happened the ships that had been circling it darted in and men poured from them onto the cruiser's deck.

Elsewhere a skiff with three people in it shot alongside another cruiser. Two of them formed twin arcs of water that went up and down as though from a fountain. The water went straight down the smoke stacks and into the boilers. With a great boom the boilers exploded, literally tearing the ship in half.

All this seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. Zokar turned back to Kai; "Captain, drop anchor and signal the fleet! Have the cruisers form a perimeter around us and kill their engines and drop anchor as well. Once they are in position have them coordinate their fire and drive off the enemy ships and order the ships firebenders to keep those small boats at bay and have all soldiers prepare to repel boarders from anything that gets through."

"But we'll be sitting turtle-ducks for those earth…" began Kai.

"I know; signal the ships holding on the other side of the islands to come and engage the ships they're on. They should be fast enough that if they keep their movements random they can avoid the worst of the enemy's fire." So saying he tuned to the speaking tube leading to the soldier's berthing, "Meet me at the boat bay and grab any of the crew you see who can firebend." He then headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Kai cried out.

"To take the fight to the enemy."

Fortunately, the ship had taken little internal damage and he was able to reach the boat bay with little difficulty. As the flagship the ship held the largest contingent of the ground forces, about one hundred strong, these had been reinforced by the ships own firebenders adding another sixty men.

Zokar first looked at these. "You men will take some of the boats and drive off the waterbenders; they're in their element so don't engage them on equal terms, stay in groups and support each other." He then turned to the others. "The rest of us are going to get our cruiser back."

They quickly boarded the boats and shot towards the cruiser, avoiding the other cruisers as they moved into position; while the boats containing firebenders split off to engage the waterbenders.

The cruiser had three enemy ships attached to it with grappling hooks and pirates swarmed the ship's deck. The crew seemed to have withdrawn into the superstructure and the pirates were attempting to force their way in. They did not see the smaller craft as they pulled alongside. Zokar signaled for six of the craft to break off, two to each of the enemy ships, with orders to fire them; he then led the others onto their ship.

He was the first one up. He was near the prow of the ship and the enemy all had their backs to him, without waiting for the others he advanced. The pirates were making so much noise they failed to hear him as he advanced upon them. His sword left its sheath and sliced two heads completely off before anyone noticed his presence. When they did those in back turned on him. He was, for the moment, alone and there were dozens of them but they could not all come at him at once and those at the front still seemed unaware of what was going on. Also, at most, they had boiled leather vests, he was clad in steel.

Blows fell on him and rang off his armor; in response he lashed out with sword and shield. His shield was triangular in shape and was made of hard wood. Like his armor he had it painted black except for the emblem of the Fire Nation painted in red in the center. What really made it vicious, however, was the steel rim around the wood, which he had sharpened to a razor point.

He swung it around in an arc to slice open one man's throat. He then used it to block a downward blow from an axe. The blow forced him down on one knee; he then stood and pushed up with his shield, forcing the axe back over the man's head. He then chocked the shield back and rammed the tip of it into the man's left eye. The eye popped and the bone of the eye socket gave as the blow buried the tip in the man's brain.

As he freed his shield another man swung a sword at him. He managed to bring his shield around to block it but the sword had a hooked blade instead of the usual straight blade. The man used it to pull his shield out of the way while he swung a second hooked sword, angled so the tip would strike the side of his helmet. Not wanting to find out the hard way if his helmet could take the hit he sank down onto his haunches and the blade sailed over him to strike his left arm. Pain shot up and down his arm but the bracer held and the arm did not seem broken. He used his stance to spring forward and bury his blade in the man's unprotected stomach.

Just then a shout went up as the rest of his men joined the fray. Chen wielded his twin swords fighting two or three men at a time. Hoong swung his hammer left and right felling two or more men with each blow. Lee and Dee moved so swiftly that at times it seemed they were one person with two swords, one would engage and enemy and the other would strike at his brother's opponent's unguarded flank or rear. Lǎoshǔ, who in place of his usual weapons, which would have been of little value in a close quarters fight like this one, wielded a pair of long knifes stayed close to Hoong. Hoong, whose charge had taken him deep into the pirates, seemed unaware that there were now threats at his flanks and rear. Lǎoshǔ took up a position behind Hoong to guard these positions and allow Hoong to continue his forward rush.

With his Ash Knights and the other soldiers Zokar drove into the pirates. Then a second cry went up. His other soldiers had succeeded in firing the other ships. With the foe pressing them from the front, the steel tower of the ship behind them and now with their own ships burning the pirates lost hope. Some threw themselves at Zokar and his men, a few threw themselves into the sea the rest dropped their weapons and surrendered.

Zokar's men began to cheer and chant his name, as did the surviving crew who now joined them on deck. Zokar quickly ended it, the battle was not done. As the prisoners were taken to the brig Zokar scanned the battle. The cruisers had followed his orders and had formed up around the damaged capital ship and their now coordinated fire was keeping the enemy at bay. The first of the scout ships had just entered the bay and was making for the cargo ships while the boats bearing the firebenders darted about engaging the waterbenders.

But the situation was still grim. Thought the enemy was held at bay for now their ships still outnumbered Zokar's and the earthbenders still bombarded the fleet. Already one cruiser was listing badly to one side and most of the others sported damage to one degree or another. If the scout ships could not deal with the earthbenders they would pound the Fire Nation ships to pieces, and if the enemy ships were not cleared out of the way the scout ships would not have a chance to reach the earthbenders.

Even as he watched one of the enemy ships moved closer to his ships. It was larger than the others, he guessed it to be an old Earth Kingdom warship, and sported several ballista and catapults. At the front of the ship was a man whose dark skin showed his Water Tribe liege. He wore rich clothing of Earth Kingdom make and a jian sword was belted at his waist. As Zokar watched the man moved through a waterbending form. Ice shot from the water to shred two of the boats engaging the waterbenders and their occupants. Somehow the man seemed to know that he was being watched, he turned and even at that distance his eyes and Zokar's locked.

Zokar knew what had to be done; he shouted a command which was relayed to the bridge and the ship shot towards the enemy commander. Other enemy ships saw what he was doing and moved to intercept. In this they were unsuccessful; one ship ended up being rammed by Zokar's cruiser. His ship shuddered terribly but the other ship was crushed to splinters.

Zokar looked at the bay. The other scout ships were now in the bay and were shooting for their targets, unobserved by the enemy ships who were now focused solely on his own ship, even the small craft with waterbenders were moving toward him, he had to keep it that way.

Arrows peppered his ship; these were joined by ice shards, water whips and other water-based attacks. Zokar ordered his men to take refuge inside or to group together and lock their shields if they could not. That did not seem to be such a good idea when the ballista on the enemy flagship opened fire, striking several men. Several boulders also struck the ship causing it list and take on water but the ship continued on and struck the enemy flagship.

By the time it reach it Zokar's ship no longer had sufficient speed to ram through the enemy ship but it did break through the side of the hull they struck, thus locking the two ships together. Zokar sprang onto the other ship calling for his men to follow.

For the second time that day he found himself alone and surrounded by foes. Again his armor lent him the advantage but he felt himself beginning to tire and his armor seemed to gain weight with each passing minute. Fortunately his men were hot on his heels and together they drove the pirates back.

Then with a cry other ships pulled alongside them and pirate reinforcements fell on their flanks and rear. It was then that the enemy commander made his appearance.

Zokar had just cut down another pirate when a water whip struck a man near him. Just before it made contact its tip became ice and took the man's head off. Following the water back to its source Zokar saw the enemy leader approaching.

Several of Zokar's soldiers saw him as well and charged him. The man casually did a sweeping kick and an arch of water shot towards them. This also tuned to ice and the men were sheered in half.

Zokar quickly interposed himself between the waterbender and his men. "Soldiers back!" He cried. "Ash Knights to the fore!"

He charged and as he had expected the man shot a blast of water at him, he tried to dodge but he was not moving as fast as he had at the beginning of the battle. It struck his sword arm and encased the limb in ice; it seemed to be the man's favorite trick. Not slowing Zokar closed with him and swung his frozen limb like a club. The man dodged the blow and Zokar's arm struck the ships mast shattering enough of the ice to allow his arm to move again.

He looked around trying to find his knights. The only one he could see was Lǎoshǔ fighting another bender. Lǎoshǔ had produced his usual ball-and-chain weapons from somewhere. As the bender launched a prolonged blast of water Lǎoshǔ launched himself forward into a roll that took him under the water, which actually now shielded him from the bender's view. His left chain shot out and wrapped around the benders leg; he pulled and the man lost his footing and control over the water which splashed to the deck. As the man fell Lǎoshǔ launched his other weapon, the iron ball of which crushed the man's forehead.

Movement in front of Zokar brought his attention back to his own opponent. The man had formed a sphere of water around him was using it to form a barrage of ice daggers. Zokar brought his shield up and hunched low to present a smaller target.

This could not go on; he was tiring fast, if the man could not get in a lucky hit then he could just wear him out. He had to get close that was a weakness of most bending of any style, they usually needed space. Above all he could not stay stationary, if one was stationary while fighting a bender then the bender could bring his full strength to bear. He gauged the distance between them to be about twenty feet; he saw water coming up the sides of the ship on both sides of him, he moved.

He sprang from his crouch and ran forward; as he had hoped the man's reactions were slower now and the number of daggers had decreased. Even master benders could have difficulty shifting between all the forms of their bending needed to maintain control over large quantities of their element, especially if they were employing multiple techniques; in this particular case, the sphere, the ice daggers and the water tendrils.

Eighteen feet.

The man released the tendrils and the number and speed of the daggers increased again. Zokar had anticipated this and leaned forward as if to go into a role. The man had clearly seen Lǎoshǔ perform this trick and moved to counter it. Water formed ice spikes along the Zokar's path. He had not rolled, however, once he saw that the man had fallen for it he leaped forward. He easily crushed the spikes he landed on, as they had been angled to catch a rolling man, not straight up and down.

Thirteen feet.

Now the man panicked. Zokar had seen it before; benders liked ranged combat, most did not like it when their opponent got close, it made them sloppy. The man abandoned his attacks and went for his sword. Zokar could not allow that. He flung his shield at the man. It was a clumsy throw and his shield had not been designed for it; anyone could have avoided it with ease, but the man thought like a bender, not a swordsman. He raised a wall of water and froze it. Before it could completely freeze, however, the shield struck it and it shattered.

Nine feet.

The man went for his sword again but it was too late. Zokar lashed out as the sword came half way out of its sheath, slicing the man's throat and carotid arteries open. The man fell to the deck chocking on his own blood. Zokar stood over him for a second, and then he thrust down into the man's heart, ending his pain.

Looking around he found that it had all gone quiet. Both sides stared at him and his dead opponent. Though he had won his own battle he and his men were still out numbered many times over. Once the pirates recovered from their shock they would swarm Zokar and his men

Then a series of flaming missiles struck several of the pirate ships. All eyes turned to their source. The Fire Nation ships were once again under steam and heading into the fray.

When Zokar had charged his ship at the pirate flagship the other pirates had gone to its aid. With them gone the scout ships had had a clear run to their targets. With the earthbenders neutralized and the waterbenders engaged with Zokar Kai had order the engines brought on line again. While this was happening Zhao had regained consciousness and resumed command. He had immediately ordered the ships to close with the enemy. Due to most of the pirates being engaged fighting Zokar and his men they were able to sink several of their ships without any difficulty. That, combined with the death of their leader, had been the last straw for the pirates, they had broken and scattered. Some tried to run for the open sea, only a few made it. Some made for the islands, a lot more made it there as the fleet was too badly damaged and short of ground forces to pursue and many just surrendered. The Ash Knights first battle ended in a bloody hard earned victory.

**Author's Notes: Well that's done, hope it was bloody enough for you all. What do you all think? If you all see anything that was wrong or needed improvement please let me know in the reviews. It may be awhile till next update; I have another story and I have kept the readers waiting long enough. But I will be back and soon there will be both a new addition and things taking an unexpected turn. Please keep praying for Shawn and the people of Colorado Springs, if you haven't heard there is a big fire there and a lot of homes have burned. Till next time may Jesus bless you all. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Notes: Well here I am again. There will be more action in this one so get ready. Still only own the characters I maker Tolkien owns Lord of the Rings.**

_You shall not pass!-Gandalf, Fellowship of the Ring._

Zokar and his men were let off in Ho-Dow the day after the battle. They waited there a week for General Hong's arrival. All of them had survived the battle with only minor injuries and these soon healed. While they waited he kept his men drilling in their mounted maneuvers, ensuring that that they and their mounts had worked off any lingering effects of the voyage and battle.

When General Hong arrived he summoned all his senior officers, including Zokar, to his tent for a council of war. When he arrived Zokar noted the presence of General Kang as well as Colonel Mongke. All rose and bowed when General Hong entered the tent. As he motioned them to be seated Zokar took the opportunity to observe him.

The twins clearly took after their mother. Where they were slightly taller than average and willowy with finely sculptured features their father was short and stocky with a broad flat face. When he spoke his voice was deep almost growling.

"I will make this brief gentlemen. We have much to do and little time to do it. Here;" he said indicating a spot on the map in the middle of the room, "Is where we are and these;" he swept his hand to indicate numerous spots on the map, "Are where we have reports of rebellion. The main difficulty is that they appear to have no central force for us to engage. We have reports of various groups attacking small garrisons or rousing the local peasantry to rebellion but the reports all indicate that these groups numbering a few hundred at most. Even if they were all to gather together they would number only a few thousand at most. Unfortunately, we have no way to force them to battle."

"Yes, we do." Colonel Mongke said. "Have me and my boys burn a village or two. Either the local earthies will scurry home and stay there or if these trouble makers think of themselves as 'freedom fighters' they'll have no choice but to come out and fight us and then we'll crush them."

Several officers made scandalized noises while several others nodded in agreement with Mongke. Zokar said nothing; choosing instead to watch General Hong and see what his response would be. The general looked at Mongke for several seconds and then shook his head sighing. "That will not be necessary Colonel Mongke, in this campaign we will refrain from harming the civilians as much as possible."

Colonel Mongke said nothing; but his snort and not so subtle roll of his eyes spoke volumes.

"You think me weak Colonel?" Hong asked mildly. Officers began to shift uncomfortably in their seats; accusations of disrespect could have serious consequences. Colonel Mongke; perhaps seeing that, independent command or no, he had gone too far began to say something but Hong cut him off.

"I am not in the habit of explaining myself to my subordinates, trusting them to have the discipline to carry out my instructions. However, as you are clearly a rather stupid man, I shall explain myself. Fear and cruelty can be effective tools but they must be employed effectively or they become liabilities instead. As an example; if I kill a soldier for insubordination then his comrades will fear me and not be insubordinate. If, on the other hand I simply kill a soldier because I can his comrades will fear me yes, but they will also hate me and if I continue to kill just because I can then they will be driven by hatred and fear to kill me, thus have I been destroyed by my own weapon.

"Now apply this lesson to our current situation. If we go about indiscriminately killing and burning then we shall create new foes for ourselves wherever we go. Yes, Colonel Mongke, at times punitive action will be necessary to strike fear into the hearts of those who oppose us but it must be precise or we shall only create more foes to oppose us. Do you understand me?"

Colonel Mongke nodded sullenly.

"Good;" said Hong and his voice became a hiss, "Because if you ever imply that I am weak again I shall have you skinned alive and nail to a rock to burn in the sun and that, if you are curious, is an example of precise fear. Now;" he said turning to face the rest of them, his voice returning to normal, "Does anyone else have any questions or may I continue to outline my plans?"

No one said a word.

"Good." Hong Said. "Now, here is my plan. As I was going to say; while the enemy has no central force the individual groups each seem to have an area in which they operate. This then is what I propose; we will divide our force into three separate columns. Each column shall move through the area thusly;" he said indicating three routs drawn on the map, "Even separated from the other two columns each will still be able to hold their own against the enemy; thus the enemy will either have to come together or retreat to avoid battle. In this way we will either force them from the area or bring them to battle."

He then assigned each officer their positions in the columns, except for Zokar who received no assignment. Hong soon dismissed the officers afterwards but indicated for Zokar to stay behind.

"Prince Zokar, I have a special assignment for you. While the infantry will advance in the columns you will take the cavalry and form a screen for them from enemy scouts. I had originally intended for Colonel Mongke to have this assignment; but I am not sure he can be trusted to perform the task."

Hong hesitated for a moment and then began to speak again. "There was something else. I wanted to know how my sons are doing. I heard they performed well in the Battle of the Bay but I wanted to hear it from their commander."

Zokar spoke in his usual voice. "Your sons performed quite well. Their courage was unquestionable and I have seen few men as skilled with the blade as they are, they almost moved as if they were one."

Hong was silent for several seconds and then said simply, "Thank you. You honor them and me with your praise." Though these were the formal words spoken in reply to a compliment Zokar heard in Hong's voice a hint of sorrow.

Upon returning to his own tent Zokar called the Ash Knights to him. As they entered the tent he observed that the twins seemed nervous and edgy. He quickly outlined the plan of campaign and the role they were to play in it.

As the others left afterwards the twins remained behind. As soon as the three were alone one of them spoke. "Did our father inquire after us?"

Zokar nodded. "He did. He enquired as to how you performed in the battle. I told him honestly that you both displayed outstanding skill and courage. Though I must confess, this seemed to sadden him."

The twins nodded and he saw sadness in their eyes.

"Is something wrong?" He asked them.

"Yes and no." One of them answered. There followed a pause and then the other spoke. "You never did ask us why we wanted to join you, did you?" Zokar shook his head no. "Well; the reason is rather peculiar when you really think about it.

"Our father has always said he was proud of us. But we felt unsure of that. After all, parents always say they love and are proud of their children. We wanted to do something, accomplish something great to prove to him and ourselves that we had earned his affection."

"So we began training." Said the other twin; entering the conversation for the first time. "We had always had a special bond due to us being twins; we used that to coordinate our efforts to form the style that you have seen us use. We thought this would make father happy and proud of us, yet it only seemed to make him angry."

"At first we did not understand." Said the first twin; speaking again. "The better we became the more upset he became. We were hurt and finally we quarreled. I fear words were spoken on both sides that will not soon be forgotten. So we left the family estate and were living in a villa we own in capital when we heard about you."

"Did you ever discover why your training made your father angry?"

"We have a theory." Said one of the twins. "We had always had the habit of occasionally finishing each other's sentences, but the more we trained the more often we did so. We believe father may have been fearful that our bond was becoming unnaturally strong and we may in fact lose our individuality."

"At times;" said the other twin, "We fear it as well."

"Unfortunately;" said the first twin, "By the time we realized that our father's anger was motivated by concern for us the quarrel had already occurred. We all have our family's stubborn pride unfortunately and none of us are willing to take the first step to reconcile our quarrel."

Zokar looked at them for a moment and thought of his own family. "While I cannot say if his fears and yours are baseless or not I can tell you that you have indeed made your father proud and you were wrong earlier, parents do not always tell their children they are proud of them."

A week later Zokar sat on Night Shadow atop a hill. Around him were his Ash Knights and the rest of the army's mounted contingent for this column, around five hundred riders. Each column had a force approximately this size; they were usually fanned out along the rout of march a day's march ahead of the infantry. Here, however, they were not.

Zokar turned back to look at the infantry as they struggled across a river. Early rains had swollen it; greatly increasing the difficulty of crossing it for men and wagons. Hong had sent a messenger hawk to Zokar ordering him to return and provide security for the infantry as they made their way across in hastily constructed boats.

Zokar did not like this at all. Before he had been ordered back he had been seeing large columns of either smoke or dust. He knew they were too far away from the rest of the army for it to be them. He remembered when Hong had discussed the possibility of the enemy coming together; it seemed he had been correct and they were doing it to oppose this column. When he had moved his contingent back to guard the crossing he had left several scouts, Yuyan archers mounted on swift mongoose-dragons, to determine what exactly was out there and report to him.

Just then something on the plains ahead of him caught his eye. By squinting and shading his eyes he could just make out moving shapes, as the shapes drew nearer he saw that they were the scouts he had left behind. As they drew nearer he saw the column of dust begin to rise behind them.

One of the scouts spurred up beside Zokar. "The enemy comes my lord! But it is not rebels; they fly the banners of the Earth Kingdom army! Their infantry is a day or more away but they have much cavalry and they are less than an hour away!" The man cried, waving his arm back towards the advancing dust.

It all made sense, this whole uprising had been a trap. The Earth Kingdom had known that the Fire Nation would send an army and that they had only two courses of action: to stay together or slip apart, as they had done, to pursue the rebels. If they had taken the first option then the enemy army would have pursued them and attacked them on the flank or rear while the rebels held their attention in the front.

As Hong had taken the second option the enemy was clearly planning on falling on each column one at a time, after having waited long enough to ensure they were too far apart to aid one another. They did not even have to destroy any of the columns, just savage them enough that even if they managed to come together they would not be able to defeat the Earth Kingdom army in open battle.

He did not know if it was coincidence or planning on the enemy's part; but they had struck at the perfect time. Hong's column was now fully committed to the crossing with several hundred men on this side of the river, including Hong himself. However; the crossing was slow and those men were nowhere near enough to repel a determined assault, especially by mounted troops.

There was only one thing to be done. Zokar would have to repel the enemy cavalry and hope that bought Hong sufficient time to bring enough troops over, or take the ones already on this side back across. If Hong chose the second course Zokar was not sure how he and his men would make it back across but he had to deal with the enemy cavalry first.

Turning his attention back to the scout, he rapidly barked out orders. "Go find General Hong and advise him of what you observed and inform him I am engaging the enemy cavalry!" The scout saluted and spurred his mount toward the crossing.

Turning to his other riders he had his trumpeter call them to formation. By the time they had done this the dust cloud was close enough that Zokar was beginning to make out movement and flashed of light off metal. A second blast sounded and they advanced at a walk.

As they drew closer Zokar saw more and more of the enemy. His force was outnumbered at least two to one. When they were within a quarter of a mile from the enemy the trumpeter gave a final blow and they broke into a run.

Night Shadow easily got ahead of the komodo-rhinos. Time seemed to slow down for him and his vision narrowed until all he could see was the enemy in front of him and all he could hear was his own breathing and the pounding of his horse's hooves. If he had been of a poetical inclination he might have compared the sound they made to the drums his ancestors had beaten in ancient times. Then the two forces collided.

Though they were outnumbered the Fire Nation cavalry held several advantages in the initial charge. Their mounts were heavier and better suited for this sort of battle than the ostrich-horses ridden by the enemy, the lances they used were longer than the spears carried by the enemy and Zokar had insisted that all mounted troops be equipped with shields.

Zokar aimed his lance at the chest of an enemy soldier. His aim was true and he was thrown back against the high back of his saddle and the shock of the impact jolted up his arm as he speared the man through the chest before the man's spear even reached him. Throwing the remnants of the lance away Zokar drew his sword. After the battle with the pirates he had finally decided on a name for his sword, Blood Fang.

He angled his horse towards another enemy soldier. This time it was the other man's spear which had the advantage of reach but Zokar, unlike his opponent, had a shield. He angled it so that it was facing the oncoming spear; while at the same time he rotated his torso so that the shield was held at an angle. When the spear struck it the spear slid off without even breaking. Zokar twisted his body around brought Blood Fang down through the man's helmet and skull.

Two more came at him, one on each side. He spurred his horse between them and lashed out at both simultaneously. He beheaded the one on the right and tore the throat out of the ostrich-horse on the left. The beast gave a gurgling cry and then fell both it and its rider vanishing under the swirling feet of the mounts around them.

Looking about for his knights the only one he could see was Hoong. The others had disappeared in the confusion of battle. Hoong swung his hammer left and right striking men from their mounts with each blow. Zokar was surprised that Hoong did not fall from his mount and then he saw why. Hoong had attached a strap to the high back of his saddle and had used it to buckle himself to his saddle.

It was too much for the enemy. This was not the kind of battle they were used to. They had clearly been hoping to overwhelm Zokar's men with superior numbers when this failed the enemy fell back in retreat. Zokar watched them go, his own force unable to pursue, and turned to the dust raised by the advancing infantry. He had bought Hong all the time he could; he just hoped it would be enough.

**Author's Notes: Well there it is. I know it wasn't as exciting as far as battles have been so far. It actually wasn't as exciting as I planned to make it originally. Please allow me to make a few arguments in my defense: 1.) From what I saw of Earth Kingdom cavalry they did not look like they were meant for head on charges 2.) If you were their commander and you saw that your plan wasn't working why would you stay and get a bunch of your guys killed when your backup is coming and the overall plan remains unaffected? 3.) Finally, not every battle is a great epic of an event some are over before they've hardly begun. What do you think of my idea to give them all shields? It just seemed to make sense and about the twins? Finally, in the reviews I was advised to be more careful in my proof reading. I went back and looked at it again and I had to face palm myself a few times. I have gone back and fixed it so if you like please read again and thanks for helping to improve. All in all if you did not like this chapter its ok, what I am really looking forward to is the next one which begins a new arch and Azula's plans take an unexpected turn. Till then please keep praying for Shawn and all who need prayers, which is infact everybody and may Jesus bless you all till then and early happy 4****th,**** God bless America! Not intended to offend any reader from another country. **


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Notes: Thanks for reading and the reviews. Still don't own any of this. Warning this chapter will have nudity, mentions of rape and torture.**

_Always keep your foe confused. If they are never certain of who you are or what you want, they cannot know what you are like to do next. Sometime the best way to baffle them is to make moves that seem to have no purpose, or even seem to work against you.-Petyr Baelish _

Music sounded throughout the courtyard. Zokar walked about acknowledging all those who had come to wish him well. Yes; this, his fourteenth birthday, was much different than those that had come before. He took a drink from a passing server and thought about all that had occurred over the last eight and a half months.

After the rout of the enemy cavalry he had returned to the crossing to find the infantry withdrawing. General Hong had believed that he would be unable to bring sufficient men over in time to repel the enemy infantry. As it was Zokar, who had commanded the rear guard, had barely made it across before the enemy infantry arrived.

Hong had immediately sent messenger hawks to the other two columns. He had hoped they would be able to alter their courses of march quickly enough to take the enemy on his flanks. The enemy, however, seemed to have anticipated this and withdrew before they had arrived. Things had become rather desultory after that; with the two sides playing an endless game of owl-cat-and-mouse with each other.

Though there were numerous skirmishes and small battles; the two main armies never met. Both kept attempting to maneuver the other one into a position where a decisive blow could be dealt, but always the other would either avoid or escape so the decisive battle never came.

It did not help that enemy guerrilla groups were operating in Hong's rear. While they never engaged the main Fire Nation army they were highly active in other ways. They ambushed supply convoys; they destroyed bridges and attacked foraging parties.

Zokar and his men were employed guarding convoys and chasing these groups. As a result he saw more fighting than most of the other commanders. The most important of these engagements had occurred when Hong had sent him around the enemy to take the village of Tall Pines, which was serving as an enemy supply depot. He had taken the place by storm, personally leading the assault over the walls. He could not hold the place, naturally, but he had destroyed all the supplies he had found there and his mere presence had threatened the enemy's own line of supply.

This, combined with worsening weather as the year got on, had apparently convinced the enemy commander to abandon the campaign and retire back across High River, the dividing line between occupied and unoccupied territory. Without their support the guerillas had also apparently disbanded and gone inactive. To an outsider it would appear that the campaign had ended in victory for the Fire Nation, they would be wrong. The Fire Nation had not destroyed the guerillas, only forced them underground, they could resurface at any time. Worse still was the threat of the Earth Kingdom army that still lurked across the river. Between these two threats Hong would be fully occupied just holding what he had. Unless the situation changed dramatically Hong would be unable to lend any aid when the siege of Ba Sing Se resumed.

Shortly after they had confirmed the enemy's withdrawal orders had come summoning Zokar back to the capital. Upon his arrival he had found a surprising development, he had become something of a hero. Apparently, in an effort to hide the fact that the campaign had failed to achieve its primary objective, the palace had been making much of his battlefield successes. Thus did he find himself hailed as a war hero and for the first time his birthday was a major event. His father was in attendance, officially to honor his son, but in reality to ensure most of the praise went the family as a whole, which he headed.

His thoughts were interrupted by someone calling his name. It was Zhao. "Prince Zokar, allow me to congratulate you on your special day and to wish you a long life."

Zokar returned Zhao's bow. "I thank you, and I pray you accept my congratulations regarding your promotion." They had been in the field for almost two months when they had received word from Chen's brother about Zhao being promoted to Commander, apparently due to his brilliance and valor at the Battle of the Bay. Zokar had not been surprised and had simply watched his Ash Knights be outraged on his behalf.

Chen had turned an unusual color of purple and had lost the ability to form coherent speech for the better part of five minutes. The twins and urged Zokar to return home and either tell the Fire Lord what had really happened or challenge Zhao to a duel. Hoong had spat and said that was just like nobles, apparently forgetting nobles made up most of his audience and had helped himself to the wine. Lǎoshǔ had merely muttered darkly to himself. In the End Zokar had done nothing, he knew it would accomplish nothing.

"I thank you;" said Zhao, smiling a false smile; "But I sought you out for more than to receive your congratulations on my successes."

"Indeed?" Zokar politely enquired.

"Indeed; I wished to tell you that I have brought a birthday present. Oh, I know everyone here has brought you gifts, but I believe that you will truly enjoy this one. I took the liberty of sending it to your quarters; I do hope you don't mind, but I assure you; you will forgive me when you see it. A little something I acquired during my time with the Southern Raiders." With that he bowed and took his departure.

Zokar watched him leave and then looked about him. While it was ostensibly the celebration of his birthday; his father's presence had been accurately understood by the guests. Also, despite his successes, Zokar was still viewed as uncomfortably different by many. So once people had congratulated him and presented their gifts they had, for the most part, avoided him. So he decided to retire to his rooms and see what Zhao had brought him.

Zokar walked through the suits adjacent to his own. They were all empty; the orders he had received indicated he would be in the capital for several weeks, perhaps longer. In view of this he had given his men leave. The twins had decided to remain with the army till he called for them; he believed they were planning to attempt reconciliation with their father. Chen had returned home, also on a mission of family fence mending. Hoong and Lǎoshǔ had accompanied Zokar to the capital and had then left him to savor the delights of the capital offered to two men fresh home from the war with ample coin from their commander in their possession.

The servants were also absent. The city as a whole was celebrating the repulsion of the enemy army and Zokar had given Woo and the other servants leave to go and make merry for the night. When he entered his rooms he found that lights had been lit. He was not surprised, doubtless Zhao had lit them when he was here. Then Zokar entered his bedroom and found he was not alone.

On the floor at the foot of his bed facing the door a woman knelt. Zokar put her age at early to mid-twenties. Her long hair was pulled up in a pony-tail and fell past her shoulders and her dark skin told him she was Water Tribe. She wore a robe of red silk and no jewelry except for a necklace of Water Tribe design.

When he entered the woman bowed as low as one would in the presence of the Fire Lord. "Greetings Master," she said in a soft low voice; "Master Zhao bids you accept this, your birthday present. He told me to tell you that he has trained me well in the arts of pleasing men and will show you that there is more to being a man than skill in battle."

Without saying a word Zokar walked into the room. She flinched when he drew near, as if expecting a blow; but he walked past her and seated himself in a chair. He sat there for a time observing her, she did not move from her bow. Finally he spoke. "Get up." Instantly she returned to her kneeling position and turned to face him. "I meant stand up." She quickly rose to her feet and stood facing him, her head down and hands held demurely in front of her.

For some reason Zokar felt something building inside him but he suppressed it and instead said. "What is your name?" She blinked in surprise; clearly she had not expected such a question. She paused for a moment, as if she herself had trouble remembering her name.

"Tala, Master." She finally in a quiet voice; as if she was fearful that by just saying her name she had done something wrong.

"Commander Zhao said he acquired you during his time in the Southern Raiders. If memory serves me correctly; that was when they were conducting operations against the Southern Water Tribe, you are from there?"

"Yes Master, I was from there." When she spoke he detected sorrow and longing in her voice.

"Those operations objective was to capture that tribes waterbenders; am I correct in assuming you are one as well?" He had studied those operations; to him they were a complete waste of resources. It would be far more efficient to simply have killed them and been done with it rather than going through the time and resources needed to capture and imprison them.

"Yes Master." She answered simply.

"Were you a warrior as well?" For some reason he found himself hoping she would say no.

"No Master. I had no skill at fighting; I was trained as a healer." He heard a longing in her voice. It was then that he noticed something just visible under her robe.

"Remove your robe and stand with your hands at your side." She did not hesitate; she simply undid the sash that held her robe closed and slid the garment to the floor. As he had suspected she wore nothing underneath. She stood with her hands at her side as he had commanded; she kept her face down and had only a slight blush, as if while this might embarrass her she had been through it so many times she was used to it, while he walked around her. She was trim and well developed and most men he was sure would be highly aroused.

But Zokar was looking at something else. He had to admit who ever had done it had skill, the whip had not even broken the skin as far as he could see, just raised welts and left a few bruises.

"Why did Zhao do this?" Zokar asked, gesturing broadly to take in her injuries.

"Because I am stupid," she answered dully, as if she were repeating something she had been told many times; "As all Water Tribe peasants are stupid. Master Zhao had to correct me many times when I did not respond properly to his training."

"I see; and why did you not use your bending to heal yourself?"

She flinched at his question. "Master Zhao told me I must never use my bending. If I did he would have to punish me." As she said this she unconsciously shuddered as if remembering some past pain. This caused Zokar to look closer and see that among the other marks were patches of shiny skin that indicated healed burns.

As he studied them the necklace she wore caught his eye. Zhao had done everything he could to separate Tala from her culture, why had he allowed her to keep her necklace, a clear link to that culture? He asked her that question.

Her face flushed; even more than when she had disrobed for him. "It is a betrothal necklace. It was given to me by Bona, the man I was pledged to marry. When everything else was taken from me I begged Master Zhao to let me keep it. He agreed and told me I was always to wear it and never take it off. Not when he trained me, not when he used me. I was always to wear it and remember that Bona would never want me now because I am nothing but a Fire Nation plaything."

Zokar said nothing for a moment; he then turned and indicated a pitcher of water. "Heal yourself." He commanded.

Tala shrank back as if he had struck her. "Master Zhao said I was never to use my bending." She said again. Her voice was a mingling of desire, terror and pleading. Again he felt something stir and again he suppressed it.

"Do it." He commanded; while he never raised his voice he inserted a tone of command. She flinched and gave him a look of sheer terror and swiftly summoned the water from the pitcher. It moved to cover her numerous injuries one by one and took on a luminous glow. Slowly, the marks on her skin seemed to shrink and fade away.

At last she was finished and sent the water back to the pitcher. On her face was a look of joy and pleasure; then she looked towards Zokar and the look of fear returned and she immediately hung her head and returned her hands to her side and seemed to be trying to withdraw into herself.

Zokar got up and went to a table, on which were a glass and a bottle of wine. He poured himself a drink and said over his shoulder; "Your injuries are healed?"

"Yes Master." He heard in her reply a mixture of gratitude and fear.

"Then you can put your cloths back on." Behind he heard a surprised gasp and then the rustle of clothing. When he turned around Tala had donned her robe. He looked at her for moment and then came to a decision. "You are skilled it seems. I and my men frequently have need of a healer; you shall accompany us on campaign in that capacity."

She bowed in acknowledgement. While she clearly did not relish the thought of aiding the enemies of her people but she did not have much in the way of options; and this way at least she would be allowed to use her bending again after being separated from her element for so long.

That settled Zokar finished his wine. "I shall retire now." A look of weary resignation came over her face. She began to walk toward the bed and undoing the sash that held her robe closed. "Stop." He commanded.

She jerked to a stop and looked at him, eyes wide with fear and her breath catching in her throat. "While you serve me I shall neither molest you nor allow others to do so. As for your necklace; you can keep it or remove it, it makes no difference to me."

Katar looked at him wide eyed, clearly unsure how to react. "Do not get me wrong," he told her; "To many I even more of a monster than Zhao, it is just I am a different kind of monster." He indicated a couch, "You can sleep there for now, later I will have my servant Woo find quarters for you."

Sleep did not come for Zokar for a long time; he lay in bed deep in thought. Tala occupied much of his thoughts. She had, he decided, the most broken spirit he had ever seen. In the dark he heard her breathing, at times interrupted by whimpers as she struggled in the grip of a nightmare. Even in her sleep she was unable to escape her fear.

He now understood, at least partially, what he had felt earlier. It was disgust. Both at Zhao and himself.

At Zhao; both for what he had done and why he had done it. Zokar understood that at times cruelty was necessary and the waterbenders of both Water Tribes were his people's enemies and had to be dealt with. But cruelty for the sake of cruelty was unacceptable. It revealed that the person who did it was small and weak on the inside and who tried to make themselves feared to hide this and make themselves feel like they were strong.

At himself he was the same. He remembered his first battle, the fear he had seen in the eyes of the enemy and his own men. He had reveled, not just in the savage joy of battle, but in the fear he felt coming from others; and in a way that made him just like Zhao. The thought disgusted him, fear was useful but fear was to be used as a tool not for its own sake.

That was another reason he would keep the woman with him. Her fear of him was palpable and it awakened that part of him that longed to be feared by others. By keeping her near and yet not giving in to them he would prove that he was not weak and ruled by his urges like Zhao and in time they, like all his other emotions, would wither until he barely felt them.

But there was still more. She made him uneasy. At first he could not say why; then it came to him. All bending required discipline and will to master and she had mastered her element, as seen by the fact she could so easily bend it after so long. So she had had strength of will; but even so it had been broken.

He had known of course that people's wills could be broken but this was the first time he had seen it with his own eyes. It raised questions that he did not want to think about. Could anyone's be broken? Could his be broken? He did not have the answer and that unsettled him. For years he had operated on the assumption that nothing could hurt him, save in the physical sense. How now was he to cope with the possibility that that might not be true? He pondered this for some time. The first lights of dawn were appearing before he found an answer and was finally able to sleep, yet even as he did so he could not help but think he was missing something.

The next morning he was summoned to the throne room. When he arrived he saw that in addition to the Fire Lord his sister was there; as well as numerous court functionaries. As he made his bow the Fire Lord looked at him for a time without speaking. Finally he spoke.

"I am quite pleased with your actions in the last campaign."

"You honor me with your kindness." Zokar said. Neither statement had any more truth to them than they ever did.

"Indeed." Said the Fire Lord, who knew full well how much truth the previous statements held. "Alas; I fear I must send you forth again.

"As you, more than anyone else here knows, the recent campaign in the south of the Earth Kingdom achieved rather less than was hoped. The fault for the cause of this whole mess I believe is with the governors; their slackness in the performance of their duties is a disgrace and gave the enemy the chance to ferment unrest in our territories. In two weeks' time you will sail for the colonies. Once there you will determine which of the governors are being remiss in the performance of their duties.

"You will…correct those you find lacking, replace them if you think it is necessary. Once you have done that there will be a second task for you.

"As long as the enemy army opposing Hong remains in the field it is too great a threat to any future operations against Ba Sing Se to be ignored. While you are dealing with the governors a second army will be assembled. Once it is ready it will also sail to the colonies. When it arrives you will take command of it and march to strike the enemy in the rear while Hong strikes from the front. Those are your orders; General Zokar."

There were mummers of surprise throughout the throne room at this announcement. While it was a given that members of the royal family would achieve high rank people for some reason never expected Zokar to. He would be one of the few non-benders to be given the rank of general.

Zokar paid no attention to them. His mind was on other things. When the Fire Lord had spoken of correcting sub-standard governors Azula's eyes had gleamed with an almost hungry light. This set his mind to racing and events flashed before his eyes. Azula throwing rocks at the turtle-ducks, Azula being cruel to Zuko, himself and her friends then saying she was only playing, her expression when Grandfather burned that spy and again when their father burned Zuko and just last night when she had threatened a servant with a flogging because her hair was not done properly.

That was what had been nagging him as he went to sleep. He had thought she was just a brat when they were younger, how wrong he had been. She had it; the love of cruelty and the desire to be feared. Just like Zhao and just like him. Her power and position had made her arrogant and allowed her to indulge in these desires to the fullest. He did not know if she was as bad as Zhao but in time she would be, more so in fact, for she would one day wear the crown.

He looked at Ozai. Did he know? He had too. Zokar was certain he did; after all he displayed many of the characteristics himself and would see them as strengths not weaknesses as Zokar did. Even if he did nothing to encourage her he did nothing to stop her either. Zokar saw it all clearly; if left unchecked she would continue done this road until it consumed her and drove her to destruction and the Fire Nation along with her.

That must not happen. Zokar saw what he had to do. He had recognized that way of thinking for the weakness that it was; Azula must be made to see it as well. He was strong enough to resist it; she had to become so as well and he had to help her do so. It was his duty to her, both as her brother and a general to his future monarch.

The madness must not have her.

He realized that the throne room had gone quiet; everyone was waiting for him to speak. "You honor me, my lord, both with the title and the charge given to me, I shall not fail. Though if I may make one suggestion."

"Yes?" The Fire Lord asked in a neutral voice, as the room quietly buzzed with surprise at this unexpected turn of events.

"With my brother's fall from grace," Zokar began; "You have elevated my sister, Princess Azula, to the position of heir. While her education has been of the best quality it can only go so far. I believe it would be in her best interest to accompany my on my review of the governors and gain valuable experience in the arts of governance; it might even benefit her to accompany me with the army to gain military experience."

The buzz became even louder at this shocking request. Azula was staring at him wide-eyed and the flames around the throne rose several inches. "You ask a great deal," Ozai said in a tone of forced calm; "She is my heir and barely thirteen years of age." Zokar nodded in acknowledgement.

"I do, my lord. Yet I must remind you that I fought my first battle at twelve." If he had been alone and inclined to such things Zokar might have smiled at the look of consternation on Ozai's face. He had out maneuvered the Fire Lord and the Fire Lord knew it. If he refused to allow Azula to go then he would either have to admit that he had sent Zokar to die, which was common knowledge but could never be admitted to. Or he would have to admit that Azula, the prodigy, was less capable of taking care of herself than her non-bending brother.

"Very well," the Fire Lord finally said; "She shall accompany you and may the gods help you if any harm should befall her." With that the audience drew to a close.

Azula looked apprehensively at her father. After Zokar had left he had dismissed everyone but her and now she sat waiting as he silently fumed. As she waited she tried to determine Zokar's motives. They had never been close so why did he want her coming with him? Fear formed a knot in her stomach; did he know she was the one who had pushed Zhao's promotion behind the scenes? She had done it to further anger Zokar, now it seemed that might have been a mistake. She had been sure he would never find out but, as everyone had just seen, he was not without cunning of his own off the battlefield.

Her father turned to look at her and she wanted to shrink back from the anger she saw there but she forced herself to remain still. "Did you know what he was planning to do?"

She shook her head. "No, I did not Father." He sat there in thought for some time, deep in thought, and then a cruel smile creased his lips.

"Well, well; it appears that I was right about him."

"Fathe?" Azula asked in a confused voice.

"I do believe the boy may have his eye on the throne after all." Now Azula was even more confused.

"But he can't; he's not a bender and the law says…" He silenced her with a look

"Laws can be changed or ignored. This can be done by a select group of people, among them are generals who have been successful and have the loyalty of their troops."

"Then why did you make him a general and why did he want me to come with him?"

"Think girl!" Her father snapped at her. "I had to give him something after we made so much of his successes and I already have plans in place to deal with that popularity; as for you going with him. Well, you are in his way and much can happen in a war zone."

Azula shuddered as the Fire Lord lapsed into thought. After a while a smirk appeared on his face. "Indeed; much can happen in a war zone. You shall indeed go with him, he was right about you needing experience and you shall accompany him into battle; but while you travel with him you shall keep an eye out for ways to supplant him in the public eye. Also, you shall watch him closely. If you see any signs that h has designs on the throne you shall prevent him from realizing them."

"And if you are right and he tries to kill me?" She asked as snappishly as she dared. He glared at her.

"Are you saying you are not capable of dealing with him?" She vigorously shook her head.

"Of course I am." She said firmly.

"Good. You have your instructions, you are dismissed."

As she left Azulaa's mind whirled. Things were happening too fast, but she was a genius and she adapted her plans to the new situation. She would go with him and she would learn; far more than Zokar had planned. She would learn exactly what made him tick and how to bring it under her control. She smiled as she thought of something else; when Father had spoken of dealing with Zokar's popularity and of her killing Zokar he had given her a trump card. Before she left with Zokar she would have to learn what Father had planned. With that knowledge she could either allow Zokar to go to his destruction or save him from it. If she did the latter she would have him. She was convinced Zokar was as obsessed with his honor as Zuko was, if she saved him he would be in her debt and that would finally give her the power she had been seeking over him. And if it did indeed come down to him or her, well, he was a talented swordsman but she was a prodigy of fire. Her plans laid she walked on smiling.

**Author's Notes: Well there it is another one down I hoped you liked it. Did it get a little too intense there with Katar? Please let me know in the reviews. What did you think of his reflections, just so you know there will be more of that to come. Also, as you saw there will be a lot more of Azula, in fact I may eventually add her name and that would move this story to her section though I will leave it here for now. As for Azula, this in not strictly speaking speak a redemption story as he is not trying to make her good in the way Zuko does in other stories. He is trying to improve her yes, but more like turning her from into something like himself. Well, that's it for now see you all later and please keep praying for Shawn and may Jesus bless you all. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Notes: Hello everyone thanks for reading, as always I own nothing. BLACK-OP1; I found your comment to be most insightful, I must confess to my guilt regarding the names. I have changed the names in this and the previous chapter. Regarding the knights, remember only Zokar wears western style armor the others were firebending armor, only colored gray, so they do resemble samurai. As for his view of benders it is partially explained here, in fact it was considering your comment to partially inspired this chapter so enjoy. **

_Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him-Proverbs 22:15_

Zokar finished reading yet another report and placed it with the growing pile he had already read. Ever since he had received his new orders he had spent every morning going over reports from the governors he was going to inspect, as well as older reports from previous governors of the colonial territories for comparison. Rising he stretched his muscles and left the library.

He walked in the direction of his rooms. It was his custom these days to take a light lunch with those of his Ash Knights here in the capital and discuss the reports he had read that morning. He had them reading them as well, at least he had Chen reading them, he wasn't even sure the Hoong and Lǎoshǔ could read. When they arrived in colonies Zokar planned to employ his Ash Knights to gather intelligence.

While he and Azula dealt with the governors Chen would circulate through the naval officers when they were in coastal cities, Zokar was sure many of the officers would know Chen's father and brother. He planned to use the twins in similar fashion with the army officers; while Hoong and Lǎoshǔ would circulate through the enlisted and civilians. He would have Azula with him to deal with the governors and other nobles, she was far more adapt at politics than he was and besides that, she was such a good liar she would doubtless be able to tell when someone else was lying too.

When he entered his rooms Chen was there as were Hoong and Lǎoshǔ. It had been decided that it would be easier to meet the twins in the colonies as they were still with their father in the Earth Kingdom. As they were already eating he waved at them to remain seated and took his own seat with them.

As soon as he seated himself Tala was beside him. She poured wine into his cup then took up a kneeling position a little behind him, ready to refill his glass as needed. After nearly a year in the field he no longer felt the need for someone else to fill his glass but decorum demanded it. Besides it gave her an excuse to be near him. Though she had relaxed somewhat after the first few days, when she had become somewhat reassured that Zokar did indeed plan to abstain from raping or otherwise abusing her, she was still jittery and nervous.

Due no doubt to the abuse she suffered from Zhao she went into a state of near panic whenever someone, even the servants, focused on her. She became uneasy whenever Zokar left his quarters and whenever he had her accompany him from his quarters she walked with bowed head as close to him as permissible.

She even continued to share his room. The day after her arrival he had again spoken of obtaining a separate room for her and she became visibly agitated. When he confronted her about this she nearly gone into hysterics but had finally admitted that it had been one of Zhao's favorite games to leave her alone in the dark for various periods of time, waiting for Zhao to inflict whatever new torment he had thought up. This had left her unable to stand being alone in the dark; at least if she shared a room with Zokar she was either protected by Zokar or could at least see him coming if he changed his mind about mistreating her.

Indeed, the only time she seemed to come close to relaxing was in the evenings. As Zokar wanted her skills at their best when the time came he permitted her to resume her waterbending exercises. However, to ensure she did not learn any offensive moves he only permitted her to train in the evening when he could observe, having spent a long night in the library reading all he could find on waterbending techniques.

She had almost looked like a child on their birthday that first evening when he had told her she could resume using her bending. She had nodded her understanding when he stated the rules and thus far had made no attempts to break them, if at times Zokar saw a bending move that did nothing but produce a small fountain in her hand or make water jump from one jar to the other he paid no mind.

Just as she refilled his cup Woo walked in. Woo's opinion of his situation had undergone a significant change. Zokar's successes and subsequent promotion had raised him in prominence, which naturally affected the standing of his servants. The competition for social standing among servants was as intense as that among the nobles they served, if not more so. Woo was now the envy of many of the palace staff, especially those who had been assigned to Zuko, who had felt the sting of their master's banishment.

But it was more than that. Woo had developed a sense of personal loyalty to the young prince. While the youth was still alien and intimidating to Woo he did not believe that Zokar was ever intentionally cruel, unlike his sister who had turned it into an art form. But mostly it was because two days after his birthday Prince Zokar had somehow learned that Woo's nephew was ill with fever. He had come himself with his Water Tribe concubine, at least Woo assumed that was what she was, and the boy had made a full recovery. He did not know why the master had helped his family and he found he did not care, he had aided them and that was enough.

Woo cleared his throat to get Zokar's attention. "My lord," he began; "Captain Sho wishes to speak to you."

"Who?" Asked Lǎoshǔ, looking at Zokar.

"Captain Sho is the captain of the ship we are taking to the colonies," said Chen; "You really need to pay attention to briefings."

Zokar signaled Woo to show Sho in. The captain was about forty years old; shorter than average but very broad with a weather beaten face. After he bowed to Zokar the prince invited him to sit and Tala offered him wine.

After he had taken a drink from the glass Zokar politely inquired as to the nature of his visit. The man seemed uncomfortable but finally began to speak. "I regret to trouble you with this my lord but I fear I must. Your sister, Princess Azula, has countered your orders regarding the ships supplies. She has ordered us not to lay in the extra coal your requisitioned."

Zokar suppressed the urge to sigh, "Captain, I thank you for bringing this to my attention. Lay in the coal; I shall see to it that her interference ceases."

After the captain had taken his leave the Ash Knights looked to Zokar. "What was that about?" Asked Hoong.

"Well, the first city I wish to visit on our inspection is the city of Ho-Tao. We need the extra coal to get there first."

"Why would your sister oppose this, or any of the other decisions she's raised a stink over?" Asked Hoong. He was referring to several previous incidents regarding supplies, personnel and the order in which the governors should be inspected.

"My sister is playing a game with me." Seeing the puzzled faces of Hoong and Lǎoshǔ and Chen's nod of agreement Zokar explained. "My sister is playing a power game. I am in command but she is the heir; it does her reputation little good to be seen taking orders from the family embarrassment. By undercutting me in these matters she seeks to force me to confront her about them.

"For now they are relatively small matters so she probably doesn't expect me to make too great a deal over them. Doubtlessly they will increase till I have no choice but to confront her; when this happens she will probably try to maneuver the whole affair into a political or judicial confrontation where her greater influence and experience will ensure her triumph."

Hoong growled deep in his throat and Chen just sighed and rolled his eyes. It was Lǎoshǔ who asked the question. "What are you going to do?"

Zokar looked at him. "Quite simple; I am going to confront her now and force the issue; and force her to deal with it my way, not hers."

Azula sat in her rooms and contemplated her course of action. Since she had been ordered to accompany her brother to the colonies she had worked to undermine him. She tried to replace the couriers and scribes accompanying them with people under her control to ensure that all messages promoted her over here brother.

She had issued orders that the coal supply be reduced; which, if it went undiscovered, would force Zokar to alter course at sea, making it appear that he was doing a poor job of overseeing the task assigned to him.

To an outside observer these acts might appear childish, but they served a purpose. By controlling the messengers she would control how Zokar and his efforts were viewed at home. By making him appear foolish by seeming mismanagement of supplies she would cause his standing to drop among the sailors and soldiers on the mission, who in turn would spread it to the soldiers and citizens of the cities they visited.

Eventually his standing would so diminish even his royal status would carry little weight with the officials they would be inspecting and she would be running the show, even if he nominally remained in charge. More likely father would use the situation as an excuse to replace him with her.

It was really for his own good. She had indeed found out how Father planned to deal with Zokar. She had gotten a look at the reports of the army he was to command.

On paper it looked impressive but a closer look showed this to be false. It had no tanks or war balloons and limited cavalry and artillary. Thus, the bulk of the army was infantry. But even here it was lacking; the majority of it was home guard and had never been delayed in a warzone, some had been hunting truant students a month ago for Agni's sake!

Looking at the reports she saw what her father had planned. When Zokar moved against the Earth Kingdom army one of two things would happen. One, his army would get slaughtered before Hong could reach him; or two Hong would reach him before they were completely slaughtered.

Either would be the end of Zokar. If he were defeated Father would place all the blame on him. While he would probably keep his rank Father would use the defeat as an excuse to ensure he never held an important command again, she could just see Zokar commanding the garrison in a fishing village at the back-end of nowhere.

If the Fire Nation where victorious it would clearly be because of Hong and his troops. Father would ensure Hong became the hero of the hour, quickly replacing Zokar in the public's fickle eye.

Regardless of the outcome of the battle the casualties in Zokar's force would be enormous. He would be seen by both the military and the civilian population as either an incompetent or one who bought victory with the lives of his men. Either way, this time he had no way out, Zokar was finished as a competitor for the throne.

Now that he had been neutralized as a threat she had two options. She could allow him to go to his destruction, or she could save him. She could reveal to the other officers the situation they were in, made apparently worse by his supposed shortcomings. They could replace him with her and she could have Father send a proper army and then link up with General Hong ensuring all the honor and glory would be hers'. No need to let the officers know she had begun the assembling of the second force before they left for the colonies.

Or she could reveal to Zokar Father's plans and bring in the second army. Ostensibly he would still be in command and receive the majority of praise for the victory but they would both know he owed it all to her; and she could take it all away in an instant. That would give her power over him and transform him from a rival to a useful tool to help ensure her claim to the throne.

Her thoughts were interrupted by one of her maids announcing her brother wished to see her. He strode in and came right to the point. "Why did you counterman my orders regarding the coal?" So he knew about that; oh well, it wasn't essential for her plans.

"Why brother; I believed that the extra coal would leave insufficient room for other supplies. I was merely taking the initiative to solve a potential problem; as any good subordinate would."

"Spare me your lies. You were trying to undermine my authority, as you have been since you joined this operation. That is not initiative; that is insubordination."

Azula was shocked at his accusation. Shock gave way to anger and she glowered at him. "You dare accuse me, the royal heir, of insubordination! I will not forget this! If you were a bender…"

"I accept." He said simply.

"What?" She said, too surprised to say anything else.

"You were, I believe, going to say that if I were a bender you would challenge me to an Agni-Kai. I accept your challenge."

"But you're not a bender." Azula spluttered out.

"No, I am the leader of the unit that kills them."

She felt as if she had been struck. The words were a clear enough threat but it was his eyes that affected her the most. They were flat and empty when he said them. Exactly the same as that day, so long ago, when he had his hand on her throat. The old fear surged to the surface and combined with the other emotions raging through her. Her face became a snarl.

"Tomorrow at sundown then; I'll burn you to a crisp in front of the whole court."

"Very well." He said, and then he turned and left. _Perfect._

"What!?" Exclaimed Chen in shock; while Hoong and Lǎoshǔ stared, too stunned to speak. While farther back Tala stared in terrified horror.

"Azula challenged me to a duel." Zokar said again in the same tone he said everything else.

"What in the name of Agni for?" Exclaimed Hoong.

"Because I provoked her into." Said Zokar; as he held out a glass and waited Tala to regain enough composure to fill it. "I told you I was going to force her to confront me my way."

"But, but…" Was all that Chen managed to get out.

"As I recall," said Zokar, getting up and heading to the wine himself; "The twins were urging me to challenge Commander Zhao to a duel and you three seemed very sympathetic to the idea."

"My lord," said Chen, in the tone of one speaking to a mentally deficient person; "That was different. That was Commander Zhao, whom my father and almost everyone else who has ever met him deem a fool. This is Princess Azula, the prodigy trained by the Fire Lord himself." Chen raised his right hand and held it up, his thumb and index held less than an inch apart. "There is just a small bit of difference in their levels of talent."

"I am aware of that fact," Zokar said dryly; "However, you have overlooked one great advantage I have over her."

"And that is?"

"I am not a bender." At this statement everyone looked at him, clearly not understanding. So he continued.

"From the beginning of recorded history benders have been seen as being superior to non-benders. Look at our own culture. I, despite my being older than my sister, cannot inherit the throne. From the day I was born I have been deemed as cursed, denied the favor of Agni. I have been shunned and maligned and told I am inferior to my siblings because of this."

He paused for a moment, seemingly lost in memory. "For a time I thought they were right. I hated myself because I could not be what they said I should be. I even spent time in the Royal Library looking to see if there was any way I could become a bender. Eventually I realized the folly of this and I nearly despaired for it seemed that all those who had mocked and belittled me were right; I was inferior and it was my destiny to spend my life in the shadows of my siblings.

"Then it happened." Here he recounted the incident that had happened between himself and Azula. "That event made me think and finally led me to a realization. Both benders and non-benders face the same trials in life; but were benders can literally alter the world to aid them in facing these trials non-benders have no choice but to bear the full brunt of whatever the world throws at them. So, in a way non-benders have a strength benders do not have."

He walked over to the stand were his armor stood and slid his hand down the helmet. "I am done seeing myself as a failure. That, in part is why I had the armor I wear made. If I wore the traditional armor of our nation I would be Zokar the Fireless; an inferior copy of my siblings. With this I am the Ash Lord; he who is rejected and alone and who has become stronger because of it. People say my sister is strong but they are wrong; my sister does not have strength, only bending."

Word of the impending duel spread rapidly, both through the palace and the city. Though he gave every sign that he was annoyed at this turn of events secretly the Fire Lord was pleased. It seemed his daughter would be able to deal with Zokar much more easily than expected. Chen spent the day at the temple of Agni asking the deity to look down on Zokar with favor. Hoong gave Zokar tips he had learned fighting firebenders in the arena. Lǎoshǔ, quite convinced that Zokar would win, started a betting pool.

At the appointed time both combatants were in the courtyard before the palace where their duel would be fought. The Fire Lord came to witness the duel, as did the majority of the nobles, court officials and senior officers in the capital. With Zokar were his Ash Knights and Tala, the latter had several jars of water in anticipation of injuries.

At a signal both Zokar and Azula knelt at opposite ends of the courtyard facing away from each other. Azula was clad in the traditional trousers and breast band worn by female firebenders during Agni-Kais. Zokar also wore the trousers, but he also carried Blood Fang and his shield.

At the sounding of the gong they rose, turned and faced one another. Azula began the fight by launching several fiery punches at Zokar. She did not anticipate them having much, if any effect on him. Rather, they were meant to allow her to get an impression of his speed and reflexes.

Zokar saw the attacks coming. There were two ways, Hoong had explained to him, for firebenders to attack. The first was to simply blanket the area with fire, known as 'Burn and pray'. The second was to employ fire in compact, concentrated bursts.

Zokar anticipated she would employ the second method. While the first was definitely flashier it was exhausting to maintain. The second was more efficient and demonstrated superior discipline, training and control. All of which would appeal to Azula's perfectionist mindset.

Azula watched as he dodged her initial attacks. Not bad, but she had been hoping for more. From the stories she had heard she had been expecting much more from him. Wait; looking closer she smiled, so that was what he was planning.

Though it seemed he had just dodged her attack he had actually done so in such away so as to be slightly closer. So that was his plan, to get close enough to her to attempt to surprise her with a sudden burst of speed. This might be fun after all.

Without the weight of his armor Zokar felt like he could fly. He intentionally kept his speed down though, no sense in letting her know how fast he was just yet. He had to get inside her circle. That was another tip Hoong had given him. Fire did not kill instantly, it took time to do that and that was the key to beating firebenders. Every firebender had a circle, it varied depending on the strength of the bender but they all had one thing in common. Get inside that circle and you could reach the bender before their flames overcame you.

Just the she sent an arch of fire skimming along the ground towards his feet. It was too wide to dodge and Zokar, unlike a firebender, could not produce flames of his own to disrupt Azula's. So he did something else. He dove forward in a roll into the flames. As he came down on them he thrust his shield into the fire. Using his shield as a focal point he flipped over the fire, he sustained a few singes but nothing worse.

Azula felt the urge to laugh. This was indeed fun. Since she was ten she had easily bested her opponents. Only her father could easily defeat her and he rarely had time to spar these days. She still had no doubt that she could defeat Zokar but he had proved to be more challenging than some of the so called 'masters' she had faced before. Well, it was time to end this.

Zokar saw her do a sweep similar to what she done before and began to go into another role.

Azula smirked in triumph. He fell for it! With her fist she created a second arch of flame, this one chest high. When he went into his roll it would take him in the legs knocking him flat on his face and then she'd finish him before he could get back up.

Zokar checked himself. He had been right. He knew his sister was too clever to use the same tactic twice, he had feigned repeating the roll to draw out whatever tactic she was planning to use. He dropped down and hunched behind his shield.

The flames washed over and on both sides of him. The heat caused his skin to grow red and raw he smelled his hair burning but otherwise was unhurt. Once the flames abated he got up and hurried on.

She stared at him, stunned at what he had just done. It flew in the face of everything she had been taught. While firebending masters could absorb and dissipate heat this was not the preferred tactic. It was better to avoid or disrupt one's opponent's flames rather than endure them and for a non-bender it was madness to do so. Then she saw how much closer he was and she cursed.

In her confidence of an easy victory she had neglected one of the basic tactics of firebending, mobility. She'd been standing stationary throwing fire like an earthbender hurling rocks! Though she did not have time to look she was sure the look on her father's face was not a pleased one.

Well, if he could do unexpected, so could she. She started to run toward him. As she did, fire engulfed both of her hands.

Zokar saw her actions and was not sure what to make of it. This was not typical firebender behavior. While there were close combat moves firebenders could employ, such as the fire-daggers his brother used, they are far weaker than the range attacks. This was not like his sister at all. At range she held the advantage; by closing she yielded that advantage to him and she had to know that. Then he saw what she was going to do.

Azula concentrated; she had to time this just right. As they closed she saw him bring his shield up and his sword back to strike. Just as his swing began she used fire to rocket herself into the air. She angled herself so that she flew over him. As she sailed over his head she twisted in the air so that she was looking down at him. She raised her hands and fired twin streams of flame down at him. Somehow he managed to get his shield in the way, though the impact forced him down on one knee.

She landed behind him, his back to her. She started to pouch out with her fist; determined to send a burst of fire into his back. But as she did so; he spun on his right foot and lashed out with his left. It took her full in the stomach. She felt the air rush from her lungs and her fire, bereft of air, died. She fell to the ground. Part of her wanted to just lie there, curled in a ball. But Zokar was not the only one who could stand pain.

She rolled out of the way of his stamping foot and used several back flips to put some distance between them. She also used the time to catch her breath and plan her next move. Once she thought she has enough distance between them she stopped, centered herself and began the moves to generate lightning.

Zokar watched her. He knew what she was doing, having seen her generate lightning before. But he was not sure what she was planning. He knew that she was still struggling to master the technique and besides he was close enough to have a good chance of stopping her. But he had no choice; if he did nothing she would finish it and he did not know if he could endure a blast of lightning. He lunged forward, pouring all his reserves of speed into reaching her. She watched him come and smiled.

When he was almost on her; she thrust her hands toward him, as if offering him the forming lightning, then she ripped her hands apart. Disrupted, the energy she had summoned exploded. Normally, Azula might have been badly hurt by this but she was already going into a sideways roll and was only slightly singed.

Zokar was not so fortunate. Unable to arrest his momentum, he received the full blast. His shield, already weakened by the heat of the flames he had blocked with it, burst apart and he was thrown back several feet to land on his back.

As he struggled to his feet Azula launched a stream of fire. This time he could neither dodge nor block. The fire hit him full in the chest.

Zokar's world was bathed in fire. He had never felt pain like this before; he had not known that pain like this was possible; it felt as if thousands of tiny red-hot needles were being driven in all over his body. He felt his skin burn and his hair ignite. Breath was sucked from his lungs and when he tried to breathe he felt like he was inhaling the fire; his throat and lungs dried and began to blister. He felt an overwhelming desire to scream in agony, to beg for it to stop.

He did neither. He had never shown his pain to anyone and he would not do so now, even if he had thought that it would do any good. Fresh pain shot through his body as his burning skin cracked and split open in places and the heat and flames poured into the cracks.

He looked towards Azula. He had said that being a non-bender had given him a strength she did not have; she was giving it her all, he would do so as well and see if he had been right to make that statement. He began to rise.

Azula watched in horror. She had felt a surge of triumph as her flames hit Zokar, convinced she had won. He had not screamed, not once, and then he had raised his head. For a second, though his whole body was engulfed by flame, his eyes, just his eyes, became visible. They locked with hers'; and Azula took a step back in shock.

Those eyes, golden just like hers', stared at her from the flames and they showed nothing. Not pain, nor fear, nor hate, not even stoic determination. They were lifeless and empty; just like they were all those years ago.

Then he rose, slowly but relentlessly to his feet and began to walk, not run, towards her. His skin was a mass of burns, with only patches of flesh here and there that had escaped the fire. His hair was gone and his ears were shriveled and blackened. Smoke-stained teeth showed from behind charred lips. His right hand still held his sword, which glowed red hot, and smoke rose from the equally hot hilt as it burned his hand, he emitted the sickly sweet smell of burnt flesh. Only his eyes remained undamaged and they locked with hers' and she could not break contact.

She was paralyzed, unable to move and her flames died out. This was impossible! This could not be happening! She was the prodigy, the lucky one, the one chosen by destiny! He was nothing, fireless, cursed by Agni! She had trained every day for years, there was no way he could beat her, none! But it was, it was the same as it had been all those years ago. Again he was coming for her and again her fire could not save her.

She couldn't breathe. The world seemed to be spinning all around her. She wanted to look away from his eyes but found she could not. She wanted to run, to scream for Mother, for Father for anyone. He seemed to grow as he drew closer and she realized she had sunk to her knees.

Shame filled her; she was shaming her father and herself in front of the entire court by this act of weakness but she could not help herself. Now he was looming over her and she waited for him to strike the killing. It did not come.

With a clatter the sword fell to the ground, bits of burned flesh still smoldering on the hilt. She stared at it for a moment and finally looked up. She started when she saw his right hand, burned almost to the bone in places, reaching for her. She shrank back, remembering that same hand around her throat but he made no move toward her. With a jolt she realized that he was offering to help her up. For what seemed like forever the two just stared at each other.

Then their father clapped his hands together. In the silent courtyard it sounded louder than the gong that had signaled the beginning of the duel. "I declare this duel over!" He turned to his guards. "See the Princess to her quarters," her turned to Tala; "You, heal your master! If he is not recovered by the time his ship sails, you shall answer for it!"

Zokar sank to the ground, even as Tala rushed towards him, several servants behind her bringing the jars of water. He stared at Azula as she was hustled away by the Royal Guards, one of them throwing a cloak over her. She was staring at him with an expression that was unreadable; as if she herself could not decide what she was feeling but it held no arrogance.

As he felt the coolness of the water flowing over him and he allowed unconsciousness to take him he nearly smiled. _Good, _he thought; _now the lessons can begin. _

**Author's Notes: Well I hope you all liked it. I know some of his remarks were enigmatic; I meant for them to be I will elaborate on them later think of them as teasers. Did I overdo Azala's reactions in this chapter? I was simulating her breakdown at the end of the show and am trying to get it out of the way. Zokar was practicing 'shock and awe' style therapy, knocking the arrogance right out of her so her reeducation possible. Now when he talked about his armor just in case I made it clear; he doen't care what other people think of him, it is how he sees himself. Both he and Zuko were rejected by their culture. Zuko tries to become accepted Zokar accepts his being rejected and is creating a new identity. Bye for now pleas keep praying for Shawn and all who need it and may Jesus bless you. **


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Notes: Hello everyone. Thanks for the reviews of my story, now onward and see the results of the last chapter.**

_One change always leaves the way open for the establishment of others-Machiavelli_

For days after the duel Zokar lay unconscious in his quarters. Throughout that time Tala seldom left his side, constantly immersing his numerous injuries in fresh water. She even had servants open his mouth so she could heal the damages done to his throat and lungs. All the while the Ash Knights hung about his quarters, keeping vigil in tense silence.

Outside of his quarters both the palace and the rest of the city buzzed with gossip regarding the duel and the possible implications. It seemed impossible that Azula, the princess prodigy, could be beaten by her non-bending brother. People wondered what form the fallout of duel would take.

According to gossip, spread by palace servants and guards to eager audiences in the city, the Fire Lord was furious at what had happened. He had not even once gone to visit his son; who, according to whoever was telling the story, was alternately recovering or dying. They also said that the Fire Lord also refused to see Azula.

She, according to the story, had gone to see him after the duel and had been turned away. She had stayed in her rooms ever since, muttering to herself and being even more short-tempered and harsh with her servants. A few of the braver servants whispered that the Fire Sage who had attended to her after the duel had heard her muttering to herself and had apparently been concerned enough to return several times afterwards. In hushed tones it was whispered that he feared her mind had been damaged.

Though most dismissed this in public, in private many were made uneasy by it; for if it were true then things bode ill for the Fire Nation. Of the royal children one was a disgraced exile; one lay possibly on the brink of death and the third's standing had been dealt a serious blow. The fact she, who had been touted as the greatest firebender of her generation, had been beaten by a non-bender had seriously damaged the image of strength she had always projected.

Worse still was the way in which she had been defeated. Much of the court had seen her defeat and the image of her collapsing to the ground before Zokar would not be soon forgotten. The image of power and invincibility she had projected before was shattered and more than one officer and noble now thought of her only as a scared, spoiled little girl; though none yet dare say it aloud. Even worse for Azula, they too had heard the rumors regarding the Fire Sage.

The situation hurt the Fire Lord as well. Fire Nation nobles were ambitions and ruthless at the best of times; a Fire Lord kept his throne by being seen as both cunning and strong and part of that strength lay in his heirs. More than one now questioned that strength. For the first time in recorded history a child of the Fire Nation royal family was born without fire; and another had been banished in disgrace. With Ozai's last viable heir was now seen by many of those same nobles as weak and possible mad some began to whisper that Agni might have withdrawn his favor from the royal house.

In the short term Ozai could hold things together by the force of his own personality; but as for the long term, things were not so certain. Already many messenger hawks had been sent by members of the court back to their family estates and there was much speculation in the capital behind closed doors. If the line of Sozin should fail what did the future hold for the Fire Nation and its empire?

A few remembered old stories of the time before the Fire Lords when their ancestors had been rulers in their own right and found the idea held appeal. Others entertained visions of themselves on the throne. Both of these, however, were in the minority.

Most took more sensible council. They did not wish to see a civil war, which would be the inevitable result of either course of action. Both would weaken the Fire Nation and leave it and its empire vulnerable; both to uprisings from within the conquered territories and invasion from the Earth Kingdom from without. Thus most were more than willing to continue to support Ozai but in such a manner as profited them.

Well aware of Ozai's temper there was much speculation as to whether or not Azula would remain his heir or if he would disinherit her as he had Zuko. If he did so he would be without an heir, even if he lived Zokar could not become Fire Lord, Ozai would need a new heir. He had his concubines of course but none had thus far given him children. Even if they did, an heir from that quarter would receive little support from the nobles.

Thus, more than one noble was looking at his or her families with an eye for any females at, or near, marriageable age. If Azula were to be disinherited they would approach the Fire Lord with the proposal of a marriage that would not only strengthen the Fire Lord's position but give him heirs of stronger disposition than his previous heirs, ensuring all blame for their defects was placed on the absent Lady Ursa.

Some, those who prided themselves as those who covered all possibilities, also looked at the males of their families. They considered it that Ozai, while at the moment enrage at her, might choose to keep her as his heir rather than risk the instability that the loss of both of his viable heirs might cause. If that were the case than Azula would become Fire Lord; but a Fire Lord who could no longer be certain of her ability to hold the nobles in check. To maintain control she would need the aid of great houses and one way to ensure support was marriage. Though she would hold the title and her husband would only be a prince-consort she would know that she owed her throne, at least in part, to her in-laws; who would be certain to take advantage of that fact.

In a way it would be even better for the nobles if she were mad. Such a ruler could prevent a civil war; but would be under the control of the nobles and the court. The Fire Nation had survived such rulers before and the nobles had always found ways to prosper in such times.

Thus all eyes were on the capital eagerly waiting to see what course of action events would take. Then, a week after the dual, an event occurred that set things in motion. Zokar woke up.

**Author's Notes: Hello everyone. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I wasn't planning this originally but it just sort of insisted on being written and it seemed something like this would happen. Please let me know what you thought of it in the reviews. Please keep praying for Shawn and all who need it and may Jesus bless you all.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Notes: Hello everyone, I know last chapter was a little different I hoped you liked it. Well onward and as always I own nothing.**

_Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it-Proverbs 22:6_

He was not sure how long he lay in darkness but he gradually felt it receding. He remembered the burning pain but it was gone now; in its place he felt a soothing coolness. The darkness vanished completely when he slowly opened his eyes.

Zokar forced himself to sit up, though his muscles felt unusually stiff and strangely weak. He saw at once that he was in his own rooms and was lying on his own bed. Looking down at himself he saw he was clad only in a short sleeved shirts and shorts. His skin was odd; it was, for the most part, pink and hairless, running his hand over his head he found that was bald as well. At that moment his stomach gurgled and he found he was quite hungry. A second look at himself showed that he had clearly lost weight

"Master!" The cry caused Zokar to turn from his examination to look at the doorway; there stood Woo. Woo's face look haggard and the bags under his eyes showed that he had not slept well recently. His eyes however were alight with joy. "Master, you are awake!"

"Yes." Zokar said simply; he then felt his throat. Though his voice was dry and raspy from lack of use he found that his throat felt cool and soothed, as if he had just had a cold drink. "How long have I slept?"

"You were unconscious when they brought you here a week ago my lord and you have not awoken the entire time till now." Here Woo took a deep breath and then forced himself to continue. "For a time it was feared that you would never awaken."

"Well, it appears that that fear has proved to be unfounded. Where are my Ash Knights?"

Before Woo could answer Hoong appeared in the doorway beside him. "I am here my lord. Chen and Lǎoshǔ are resting. We have been keeping watch over you as you slept." Like Woo, Lǎoshǔ appeared haggard and under nourished. When Zokar remarked on this Lǎoshǔ shrugged self-consciously. "Well, my lord, truth be told I think we all look like this. We have been too worried to eat or sleep much. But, honestly, I think your woman is the worst off of all of us."

This remark drew Zokar's attention to where she slept. Tala lay there asleep. She must have been quite weary, Zokar thought, because she, who normally jumped at the slightest sound, had slept through all their talking. He saw that she did indeed seem more haggard than the others and her skin had taken on a grayish tinge. Also, as he had given her clothing in the Fire Nation fashion which usually left the mid-drift bare, he was able to see that she too had lost weight. Indeed the outline of several ribs could be seen.

"She has worked on you this whole time," Woo explained; "Rarely stopping to eat or rest. I fear she may have overdone herself."

Zokar continued to stare at her for a moment; then he turned back to the others. "What time is it?"

"It is two hours to noon my lord." Woo answered.

"Very well, summon my servants and have them prepare a bath and a light meal." Turning to Lǎoshǔ he said; "Inform the others I am awake then all of you get some food and rest I will speak with you all one hour after noon." After he had given similar orders to Woo he dismissed them.

As he walked towards the bathing room he stopped. He turned and stared at Tala as she lay sleeping. He said nothing, only looked. Finally, barely enough to be noticed, he inclined his head to her and then he turned and departed.

At the appointed time he joined his men. He had bathed and put on clean cloths. His men, though still somewhat worn in appearance, were clearly very pleased to see him and this gave a spark of vitality to them that had been lacking. As they waited for him to speak he nibbled at the light lunch prepared for him; in truth he wanted to devour it and much more besides, but he knew that would only make him sick so he restrained himself.

At last he returned their gazes. "What has happened since the duel?" They all took turns filling him in. Chen reported what he had learned from his family regarding what was being said and done by the nobles. Hoong and Lǎoshǔ reported what they had overheard from the servants and guards, including the rumors of Azula's madness. They also reported they had received several messenger hawks from the twins enquiring after his health and stating they were returning. For a long time afterwards Zokar sat in silence; at last he spoke.

"I thank you for your loyalty. Now there is work to be done. Chen take charge and have all reports and orders brought in, we must ensure that all preparations are complete before we sail. Hoong, you and Lǎoshǔ assist him. I must present myself to the Fire Lord and attend to another matter; then I shall join you."

"But my lord," Chen protested; "You are in need of rest. Surely the trip will be delayed or even canceled altogether."

"I have rested enough and the trip will be neither delayed nor canceled. You have your orders." With that he rose and departed. In truth; he still felt drained and exhausted but he could not afford to rest. Things were becoming unstable. The madness may have already claimed his sister and with the Fire Lord doing nothing about it the whole country could suffer because of it. He had to repair the damage if he could before he allowed himself to rest.

Azula sat in her room. She then stood up and began to pace; ever since the duel she had a hard time focusing on anything or staying still for more than a few minutes at best. She had been unable to meditate and she also had eaten and slept very little. Even forming complete thoughts was becoming difficult.

Everything was all wrong! Ever since the duel her world seemed to be spinning out of control. She, Azula the Prodigy, had failed! But that could not be right, she never failed! She was the lucky one, right? He had to have cheated somehow; it was the only rational explanation. Was it a plot; had Zokar been in league with Zuko this whole time?

The worst had been when she went to see Father. He had refused to see her; he did not even say so himself, he had just had the guards bare her entrance to the throne room and sent out the Grand Chamberlin who had simply stated that the Fire Lord did not wish to see her. She bit back a sob at the memory; she had, in fact, cried that day. She had barely made it back to her rooms before she broke down and sobbed.

Why did everyone leave her? First Mother and then Ty Lee and Mai. In all that she had always had Father to be a stern constant in her life. But now he had rejected her. He was treating her just like Zuko! Just thinking it made her want to scream.

It was all just too much! It seemed the world was spinning out of control and there was nothing she could do to stop it. All that she had depended on was gone, Father's affection and even her bending. At that thought she did begin to sob.

The day after the duel, after Father refused to see her, she had gone to train; hoping burning something would make her feel better. Strangely, part of her had felt listless and apathetic about bending, one of the few things that gave her joy. It was if her defeat had taken the drive she usually felt when training.

She had stood in the middle of the targets and punched out. Nothing had happened. She had been confused and had tried again and again nothing happened. Frightened now she had tried again and again, it was almost as if something was blocking her, keeping her fire in. In desperation she had gathered all her rage and had forced it out. She finally produced a flame almost as large as the flame from a candle.

Now fighting down panic she had rushed from the training field, terrified that someone would see her. That had been nearly a week ago and she had not dared try again. This was terrible. It was beyond terrible. Without her bending she had nothing; without her bending she was nothing. She was less than Zuko. She was worthless, just like Zokar.

_Zokar_! She almost spat in hate as she thought the name. He had done this to her! She wasn't sure how but somehow he had. He had sabotaged her bending somehow. That was how he had not burned in their duel. When she found out how he had done it she would find a way to undo it. Then she would burn him to ash.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone entering her room. Turning, ready to give whichever servant had entered without permission a tongue-lashing they would never forget, she came up short. Standing there was Zokar. Her eyes narrowed and she glared at him. He looked odd, with most of his skin pink and smooth like that of a baby; mottled here and there with skin that had survived the fire. But his eyes, his eyes were the same as always.

"What do you want?" She hissed at him.

"We must talk."

Rage flared up in Azula. How dare he sabotage her bending and humiliate her in front of both Father and the court and then walk into her private rooms uninvited as if nothing had happened?! Worse still, he had to see that she had been crying. Shame mixed with rage; surging to her feet she punched out at him, determined to burn him then and there. Zokar dove to the side; then stopped and stared as only a small puff of flame emerged and promptly died out.

"What happened to your bending?"

"AS IF YOU DIDN'TKNOW!" Azula screamed at him at the top of her voice. "YOU DID THIS, YOU TOOK AWAY MY BENDING!" To her horror she sounded scarred and a little out of control, even in her own ears, and she had to choke back another sob at this show of weakness.

"I did no such thing." Zokar said in his usual tone of voice. In a way this was worse than if he had gloated and it mad Azula even angrier.

"DON'T LIE TO ME! I KNOW YOU DID, YOU HAD TO HAVE HAD! THERE IS NO WAY YOU COULD BEAT ME WITHO…"

"Silence." The single word, delivered in a low hiss, cut through her tirade and instantly silenced her, for in that word she detected something she had never heard from him before, contempt. "Sabotaged your bending? Couldn't beat you without cheating? Do you have any idea how small and pathetic that makes you sound?

"All your life you've lorded it over all around you; you have been a cruel, sadistic little monster; to me, to Zuko, to Mother and to those who tried to be your friends. And now, that something has gone wrong for the first time in your life, what do you do? You fall to pieces and hide in your room and blame your problems on others while the kingdom threatens to fall apart. You are as weak as Zuko."

"SHUT UP!" Azula screamed, as she grabbed a hairbrush and hurled it at him. He made no move to block it or dodge it; he simply allowed it to strike him and bounce off of him.

"Why should I? It is past time someone told you the truth. All your life you have been dependent on your bending talent. You believe yourself born lucky because of it; when the truth is you are little more than a thrall to your element. You depend on it to win your battles for you and grant you respect prestige and the people's fear-inspired awe, even the Fire Lord's approval, without ever developing strength of your own. Just look what has happened to you after only a week without it. The respect, the awe, the fear, and the approval they're gone for they were never yours' they were the fire's."

"That's not true." Azula said, she wanted to shout this as well but could not find the strength to do so.

"It is." Zokar said, carrying on relentlessly. "Those who saw your defeat, do you know what they are saying about you now? They say you are nothing but a scared child who might be mad. Trust me when I say that the fear and respect are long gone. It was not you they feared it was your fire and now that has failed they don't see a great and terrible princess; they see a broken, powerless little girl and the Fire Lord sees you the same way."

"No, that's not true, Father loves and values me." Azula said. In the low voice of one who wants desperately to believe that what they are saying is true and has told themselves it so many times they believe it.

"No," Zokar said and his voice had returned to normal, much to her relief; "He does not. He valued you, that is true. You were everything he values; talented bender, cold-hearted, selfish and manipulative, just like him but that has changed. You lost and looked weak in public, embarrassing him and threatening his power, the one thing he truly loves, in the process. You failed and he has rejected you; just as he rejected Zuko; and you know what comes next."

Azula did not want to believe him but she knew he was right. She had seen the expression on Father's face after the duel and she knew him well enough to know how he would view her defeat and yes she knew what was coming and she wished to Agni she did not.

Yes, she knew what happened to those who fell from the Fire Lord's favor, she herself had engineered similar fates for several people. There would be the whispers, the silent snubbing, the shunning and on and on till the person was driven from court in shame. She felt as if the ground she was standing on was crumbling and she was falling down into an endless hole at the very thought. She felt small and alone. She wanted to cry but refused to do so in front of Zokar.

"It does not have to be that way." His words cut through her cloud of despair and seized her full attention.

"What do you mean?"

"Just what I said. Yes, you have lost the Fire Lord's favor and to most that means your destiny is failure and shame. But I do not believe in destiny, after all, they said the same about me.

"I do not know what happened to your bending and I cannot return it to you. Neither can I return the Fire Lord's favor to you or the image that you had before. What I can do is show you how to become strong enough to move forward without them. How you, as I have my whole life, can endure the snubs, the insults; even the hate and contempt of those around you so that it no longer hurts.

"I said that you are weak, that you have no strength of your own. That is true and now what you have used in place of strength is gone as well. Now you have to make a decision. You can stay here and accept your fate. Or you can fight fate, as I did, and become stronger because of it. At our duel I offered you my hand; I now offer it again. If you are willing I can help you rise and stand on your own."

Azula did not know what to say. Was this a trick? A setup as part of some elaborate revenge scheme of his for all she had done to him in the past? Part of her wanted to believe it was, in a way it would be comforting; it would be familiar to her as it would be what she would have done. But she had to admit that as far as she knew her brother, whatever else he was, was not cruel.

Besides, he was right. She was vulnerable right now. She had lost both Father's favor and her bending and had no defense against her rivals. She needed Zokar right now. She was certain his status, or at least people's perception of him, would be greatly enhanced by the duel. As long as she was with him she would be under his protection. She could use that to recover and grow strong again; and if she could at last learn how Zokar worked she could use that to bring him down and return to her former glory.

There was another part to it, one she barely acknowledged. She feared Zokar, but she also envied him. She envied he could face down even Father without fear. The way he could endure the whispers, the barbed jabs, even the naked hostility of those around him without being hurt by, or even acknowledging, them. How he could take any situation, no matter how badly the odds were against him, and come out ahead. And the way even being abandoned by Mother did not hurt him. He had strength and she wanted it.

She did not say anything; she just looked at him and nodded. He understood and nodded in acknowledgement. "I am pleased with your decision." He turned to go, then stopped and looked over his shoulder. "By the way, that was by far the finest example of bending I have ever seen. You are indeed talented Sister." So saying he continued on his way to the throne room. _And so it begins._ He thought to himself.

**Author's Notes: Whee, that tough, that chapter just did not want to be written. Hope it turned out ok a little different from how Zuko tries to help her huh? That was Zokar's version of tough love. Let me know in the reviews if you liked it and please keep praying for Shawn and all who need it. Bye for now and may Jesus bless you all.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone, glad you liked the last chapter, well here we go. Nickelodeon owns the show and its characters and Martin owns Game of Thrones.**

_You win or you die. There is no middle ground-Cersei, Game of Thrones_

The day that Zokar and Azula sailed for the colonies the Fire Lord summoned both of his children to the throne room. As they approached the throne room Azula found herself becoming nervous. The last time she had been here she had been turned away and the memory of that humiliation still stung. Worse; she now knew what people had been saying about her and she could already feel their condescending eyes and hear their barbed whispers in her ears.

The sheer humiliation of it was almost too much to bear and as they paused at the entrance, awaiting formal permission to enter, she had to fight down the urge to run back to her room. She looked over at Zokar who, as always, seemed impassive. She took a deep breath and tried to school her expression to be equally impassive as they entered.

It was worse than she had feared. Though their faces gave nothing away she could tell they were looking at her differently. Zokar had been right, the fear was mostly gone. In its place was a combination of ridicule, smugness and speculation as they all silently considered how they could turn the situation to their own advantage. In their eyes she had suffered the worst fate a member of court could suffer, to go from player to pawn. This seemed to be emphasized by the fact that, as her superior, Zokar walked several steps ahead of her.

The very worst of it all, however, was known only to herself and Zokar. Despite her best efforts her bending had still not returned. She had even gone to the library and searched through all the writings she could find on firebending but her search had revealed nothing. She was now terrified that her bending may be gone forever.

Walking into the throne room, surrounded by the court, many of whom would gleefully destroy her if they could do so in a way that would advance themselves, without it made her feel naked and vulnerable. She found herself fighting the urge to hunch down and get even closer to Zokar. Instead, she focused on his back and kept walking.

When they arrived at the throne they knelt before the Fire Lord, Azula moving to bow alongside of Zokar. Ozai looked at them for a long moment before he began to speak. "I am pleased to see you recovered my son. Though; perhaps your injuries were not as great as first feared." This last was said as he stared at Azula, making her wish she could get behind Zokar again.

"I am honored that you would trouble yourself to be concerned about my welfare."

"All of your preparations are complete?"

"They are."

"Then may Agni grant you success in your efforts to bring glory to the Fire Nation." Then, instead of dismissing them he turned to address the court as a whole. "Before they depart I would speak privately with them." In short order the room was empty except for the three of them.

Once they were alone Ozai turned to look at Zokar. "Leave us." He ordered curtly. Panic flared up in Azula, for she knew what was coming; Father was intending to make his displeasure known. The last time he had been truly angry Zuko had lost part of his face.

"If it pertains to our task then as the commanding officer I should be present." Zokar stated. The fire around the throne flared up in reflection of the Fire Lord's rage.

"Get out." The words were not shouted, indeed they were barely above a whisper, yet they cracked through the room like whip. Zokar said no more; he merely rose and departed.

After he had departed father and daughter remained in silence for a time separated by the flames around the throne. Then Ozai rose and parted the flames, coming to stand in front of Azula. As he had not given her permission to rise she had remained bowing since she entered so he now towered over her.

"You disappoint me Azula."

"Father, I…"

"Silence yourself! I have not given you permission to speak. Nor do I give you permission to address me as Father. You have shamed both me and yourself. In doing so you have forfeited that privilege."

As he spoke he began to circle her, his voice growing angrier and angrier. "I give you one task, one simple task, bring down a non-bender and you bugle it in front of the entire court! By doing so you endanger my throne and then to compound matters you hide in your room for nearly a week like a frightened child! By Agni! When I think of all the time I spent training you! Time I now see was wasted! You are as useless as Zuko!"

Azula flinched but dared not say anything as he continued. "Still; I am forced by circumstances to give you one last chance. Go with your brother but see to it he does not return with fresh glory to his name. I have over the past week received several marriage offers and I do not doubt I shall receive more, I am inclined to accept. Fail me again and I shall disinherit you in favor of the first child born to me and you can go and join Zuko and my fool of a brother with a mark of failure to match. Now go!"

She hastily got to her feet and departed as quickly as decorum allowed. Inwardly she was in turmoil; she was trapped between her father and brother, both of whom terrified her. No matter what she did she would make an enemy out of the other.

Without her bending there was no way she could take down Zokar, yet she had to if she were ever to regain her former standing. She did not know what to do. If she were forced to go after him to soon because of Father's orders she might lose again; but if she did not act soon enough…

Her mind filled with these thoughts she exited the throne room. Zokar was there waiting for her. As they made their way towards the harbor she stared at his back and wondered if he was her redemption or her doom.

As they boarded their ship, the Ash Knights and Tala having already boarded, the captain approached them. As he delivered the customary bow he addressed them. "My lord, my lady; I fear that, due to some unforeseen delays in loading the ship, we will not be able to sail before the tide. This will prevent us from sailing before sundown."

Instantly Azula lashed out, here was a situation she knew how to deal with. After the threats of Father and her ongoing fears about her bending it felt good to the one in control again. "Perhaps Captain," she said with an air of false calm; "You should be less concerned about the tides, which only might send you to your grave, and more about failing members of the royal family who certainly will and replace you with someone competent."

For a moment she felt like her old self and it felt good to see someone afraid of her it made her feel strong again. Then Zokar spoke. "Thank you Captain. We will wait till the tides are in our favor." Turning to Azula he said; "Walk with me." He led her to an area where there was no one else around and turned to look at her. "Why did you do that?"

Azula looked at him nonplused. "I had to. You have to maintain control and fear is the only effective way to do that."

He looked at her for a moment, and then began to speak. "I said I would help you so consider this your first lesson. That statement is only half true and it reveals a critical flaw in your thinking. I agree there are times when a ruler must be feared. However, this is not always the case and an intelligent person knows the difference.

"Fear can be a powerful tool but if improperly used it will hurt you instead. Just now, for example, when we were given news you did not like you reacted with threats and insults. That did not make you look strong to him, it made you look like a spoiled brat throwing a temper tantrum because you did not get your way and cannot handle bad news.

"In short, it made you look the exact opposite of what you wanted. It made you look like a weak person trying to hide their weakness behind a façade of bullying bluster. Now the Captain, and everyone else for that matter, will think of you as weak and emotionally immature and that in turn will affect their performance in combat; thus you have in fact hurt yourself and your nation.

"Fear is a tool of statecraft. But no craftsman has only one tool. If you do then you show to the world around you that you are incapable commanding any other way and that is weakness, not strength. If you rule only through fear you weaken yourself and those around you so fear of you becomes a liability not an asset.

"People hate that which they fear and the longer the fear remains the greater the hate grows. For a time perhaps the fear will hold the hate in check but eventually hate will overcome the fear; so the very thing you used to hold power becomes the thing that takes it away from you."

"There is one final point," he said, looking her straight in the eye; "People who rule through fear are often themselves ruled by fear." So saying, he turned and left.

Zokar went to his own quarters, where he found Woo and Tala. As he entered they both bowed. "My lord," Woo said; "All of your belongings are aboard and stowed as per your orders." Zokar nodded his approval and then dismissed him.

After Woo had gone he turned to regard Tala. Ever since he had regained consciousness she had seemed to withdraw into herself and seemed even more reluctant be apart from him. As he looked at her he saw that her necklace was gone. She seemed to sense where he was looking and reached her hand up to touch were it had been.

"It did not seem right to keep wearing it. When I healed you I healed one of the greatest enemies of my people. A brave person would have put the good of the tribe first and let you die. But I was not strong and I feared what your father would do to me." She shuddered and took a deep breath before continuing. "Perhaps my people could forgive if it was only that but it is not.

"Ever since I was taken I have only known pain and humiliation. With you I have not been abused and even allowed to bend again and I am grateful for that. That is why I saved you and would have done so even without the threats. To the people of my tribe that would make me a traitor if they ever knew and Bona would hate me. The same is true for the Northern Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom. Even if the Fire Nation were to lose I cannot go home now; for now all the blood you shed in the future will be on my hands as well in their eyes."

A tear rolled down her cheek. "That is why I took the necklace off; it is no longer right that I wear it. The woman to whom it was given is gone; she died when she saved you. I am truly yours now, Master, for no one else will have me."

For a moment all was still. Zokar said nothing, there was nothing to say. He could not fault her logic. Such a person would be branded a traitor in the Fire Nation and he would not torment her with false words of comfort. He told her to rest till evening, when he would allow her to bend again.

As he sat in his chair, wine in hand, he decided he would allow her to bend now without his presence from now on; maybe that would cheer her. To see a spirit, even of one who had been considered an enemy, broken disturbed him.

He turned his thoughts to Azula, another broken one. He knew that she feared him, had known it even longer than she did most likely. He had been telling her the truth that people eventually turned on that which they feared; it was how he had goaded her into their duel.

But it could not remain thus. If fear remained his only hold over her she would be rebellious and unreceptive to all he was trying to teach her and it seemed another problem had reared its head. Unknown to them he had been listening to what the Fire Lord had said to her. In truth he was not surprised at this turn of events but he had hoped it would not come as soon as it did.

If he did nothing then she would turn on him, the affection of the Fire Lord, however conditional, was all she had truly valued for years and she was incapable of imagining being without it. Fear of losing it might very well drive her to act, with or without her bending. He had won last time because she had been unprepared and had broken, he could not count on that again if she regained her bending.

On the other hand, if she sided with him, or if the Fire Lord learned about her bending, then the Fire Lord would make good on his threats to disown her and permanently reject her and she was not yet strong enough to endure that and would be destroyed in both mind and spirit. There was also the very real possibility that the strain of being caught between the two she feared most might shatter her without any action from either of them. Zokar sat still in his chair, watching the sun set as he racked his brain for a solution.

**Author's Notes: Here we are I hope you liked it. Therapy takes time. What did you think of his speech and reasoning? If you see where it could be improved please let me know in the reviews. Bye for now please keep praying for Shawn and all those who need it, especially the persecuted Christian Church in Asia and Africa. Bye for now and may Jesus bless you all. **


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Notes: Hello everyone glad you like the story so far, and now another lesson. Terry Pratchet owns the Discworld series.**

_They think they want good government and justice for all, Vimes, yet what is it they really crave, deep down in their hearts? Only that things go on as normal and tomorrow is pretty much like today. - The Patrician, __Feet of Clay__._

The voyage to the city of Ho-Tao took nearly three weeks. On the second day of the voyage Zokar summoned Azula and the Ash Knights to his cabin in order to plan out their course of action when they reached the colonies.

Azula expected some dislike from the Ash Knights; after all she had come close to killing their leader and was not surprised when she received it. What surprised her was what had happened when they were being served tea before the meeting began. She had been looking at Zokar when she caught the eye of his Water Tribe servant. Their eyes locked for just a moment but it was enough. The woman blanched and quickly looked away.

For a moment Azula experience her old sense of elation over such obvious signs of fear from those around her. But it quickly passed as Zokar's words returned to her. Was what he had said true; was she weak and trying to make herself seem strong by bullying the only person in the room who was weaker than her?

That thought brought her mood down even further. Despite everything her bending had still not returned. She had spent most of the voyage so far in her cabin, alternately meditating and trying to bend all, so far, without results. Its continued absence left her in a state of near panic and only the knowledge that Zokar would disapprove kept her from lashing out at everyone around her.

Desperate to focus on something else she listened as Zokar outlined the rout they would take on their inspection tour and the duties each of them would have. Azula lived for scheming and political games and she saw that while he had a firm grasp intellectually of how it worked; Zokar was woefully inexperienced in the shadowy game of politics, the governors would eat him alive, and the Ash Knights were no better. Granted two of those present were peasants but Chen was a son of a great house and should have been advising Zokar on these things.

"This is the course of action I propose to take," Zokar stated at the end of his briefing and looking around the room; "Has anyone anything to add?"

Azula raised her hand, indicating she wished to speak. "I believe," she said; "That the course of action you're proposing is not the best way to go about our task."

Instantly the Ash Knights glared at her and Tala clenched the dish she was holding, though she did not dare to look at Azula. Zokar remained calm. Holding his hand up to stop the low angry muttering, he turned his attention to her. "You have a suggestion to improve it?"

For some reason she found she was pleased that he had asked for her opinion, something Father rarely did. "To start with," she began; "While your plans are orderly and efficient, to start at Ho-Tao, the westernmost colony and then work your way across. You haven't taken the governors into account. While inspections are usually secret; you may be sure most of them will have received word of your coming from their friends at Court."

Even as she said that she wondered about that. It was for that very reason that such inspections were kept secret, usually those being inspected only found out about it afterwards, if at all. Here, however, Father had announced it in front of the entire Court and if that lot could keep a secret she was a hog-monkey. Even as she thought about it she saw what had to be the reason, this was another plan to embarrass Zokar by Father.

Forewarned of his coming everyone who had something to hide, which meant all of them in her opinion, would at this moment be hiding or destroying anything that could incriminate or embarrass them. By the time Zokar arrived it would be gone or beyond his reach. No doubt Father had a second, secret, inspector, either here or following. That person would find out all the governors', who would relax after Zokar left, secrets and when Zokar presented his report Father would produce the second exposing Zokar's failures, publically humiliating him by making him appear foolish and incompetent. Which, when combined with the military fiasco Father was planning for him, would spell the end of him, maybe even enough for him to be expected to kill himself to atone for bringing such shame to his family.

So, if this was indeed what Father had planned, there were two questions that needed to be answered. The first being why had Father sent her to ensure Zokar failed if he already had plans in place to deal with him? The second was why was she helping Zokar, thereby ruining Father's plan, as Father surely would know it was she who had done it and invite repercussions?

The first had several answers. It could be a test for her, to see if she was still capable of such actions in the wake of her defeat. It could be a subtle punishment from Father, putting her in a position to carry out his plan rather than forming one of her own, reminding her of her inferiority to him. Or it could be a test, to see if she would reveal what was going on to Zokar; thereby showing Father she had come under the influence of her brother.

Which led to the second question, why was she about to warn him? For some reason she found she did not want him to fail. Over the last days she found she had come to depend on him. She was in a vulnerable state right now and yet around him she felt safe. If Father knew her bending was gone he would disown her instantly, yet Zokar did know and still had not done anything to take revenge for all she had done to him.

She fought the urge to shake her head in disgust, she was being foolishness; trust was for fools he was probably playing his own game and she just didn't know what it was yet. So why was she helping him? She simply needed him till her bending returned she told herself, besides Father may not think she had done anything if she just allowed Zokar to fall into the trap Father had set for him.

The sound of Zokar clearing his throat broke her chain of thought and she found everyone was staring at her. Flushing slightly she continued. "As I was saying, they probably already know you're coming. Once they see the pattern your inspections taking they can act accordingly. I recommend that we alter the order in which we visit the governors; instead visiting them in random order.

"By doing so we throw them off balance. Additionally we may want to send spies ahead and learn what is going on before we arrive. When we arrive at those cities we will already be able to confront them with their inevitable lies, giving us an air omnipresence that will further frighten them, some may even breakdown and confess as word gets around." She looked at Zokar, concerned that he would reprimand her again over the use of fear.

"You assume their guilty?" Chen asked.

"You assume they're not? You clearly have not spent enough time at Court."

All looked at Zokar, who sat in silence for some time. At last he looked at them and nodded. "We shall adopt your strategy Sister, for upon reflection it seems the best way to achieve our ends." Azula felt a surge of pleasure at the compliment, something Father rarely gave. Then shook herself, she wasn't Zuko, so easily led by flattery.

When they reached Ho-Tao they were met at the docks by an official welcoming party, which included the governor, Po Kang, himself, and coved to the governor's palace in great state. Zokar and Azula rode at the head of the procession in a great palanquin, the governor followed behind in a second, less grand, one.

Once they arrived at the palace the governor wished to escort them to their quarters to rest from their journey. "That will not be necessary." Zokar said bluntly. "I have been going over the reports, both military and civilian, regarding this province. There has been a marked increase in violence and unrest. I wish you to explain this to me and what measures you have taken to deal with them."

The governor seemed visibly agitated by this. "Well…my lord; it is very complicated. If we may meet again in the morning th…" That was as far as he got. Azula let into him.

"Any competent official of the Fire Nation should be able to provide pertinent information on the province he is assigned to in an instant at any time of the day or night. So either your inability to do so now is a sign that you are, in fact, incompetent; or you are buying time to think up a good lie!"

Anger now clashed with nervousness in the governor's eyes but he managed to maintain control. "What I meant was there are a number of reasons for this state of affairs. In the first place for the last three years the harvests have been poor so I have had difficulty gathering the taxes I am required to. Second, trade has fallen off between the various towns and villages in the province. This, in addition to hurting tax revenues, has driven many to banditry. Finally, I am sure there are instigators from areas of the continent still under Earth Kingdom stirring up the people. If I had the manpower I would crush these bands. Perhaps if you were to suggest to the Fire Lord…" his voice trailed off suggestively.

"Thank you Governor." Zokar said. "I shall consider what you have said. I am sure you have much to deal with in the morning, we shall not inconvenience you. We will speak again after the noon meal." With that he turned and entered his rooms.

The next morning Azula and the Ash Knights, who had spent the night gathering information, met Zokar in his rooms. As they ate Chen spoke first.

"Well, Kang spoke at least a partial truth. Trade has died off and it has indeed forced many to banditry. What he failed to mention was that the reason trade has been dying off is because he has been imposing numerous tolls along the roads and pocketing the money."

Zokar turned to Hoong. Hoong cleared his throat and began to speak. "At your command I have been looking into the situation regarding the harvests. I spoke with a number of merchants and rice speculators and they all say the same thing. This whole area has been struck by drought for the last three years and the farmers have barely been able to make ends meet to feed their families, let alone pay their taxes.

"While the merchants have so far been selling the excess rice from previous harvests that is beginning to run low as well. When it runs out I don't doubt we will be seeing rioting and looting in the city."

Attention then shifted to Lǎoshǔ. "On your orders I went in disguise to the poorer parts of the city. It is as the governor said. There are indeed Earth Kingdom agents at work in the city. They rail against Fire Nation invaders and the injustices inflicted by the governor. The situation being what it is they are not lacking for an attentive audience and if something is not done soon we'll have a full scale rebellion on our hands."

Zokar thanked them for their efforts and then dismissed them to get some well-deserved rest. After they had gone he sat for some time deep in thought. At last Azula, who never had much patience in the best of times, asked him what he was going to do.

"What would you do?" He asked simply.

She barely had to think about it. "I would dismiss the governor, perhaps even have him executed. Hunt down the bandits and crush them and find these rabble rousers and have them publically executed. That should cow the rest into submission."

Zokar shook his head. "That would not suffice. While it would deal with the governor it would do nothing about the drought and the impending food shortages and those you killed would only be seen as martyrs for their freedom."

"Then what do you propose?" She asked rather testily.

"What I propose is this. First, we confront the governor with what we know about his off the books taxes and curtail them. Second we announce that out of concern for the wellbeing of those living under us; the Fire Nation shall construct an irrigation system paid for out of the governor's own purse an enact an overall tax reduction. Finally we make an announcement that when we complete our inspection we will return and when we do I will personally hunt down any bandits still operating in the area."

Azula snorted in disgust. "That sounds like something Zuko would do. I did not take you for a soft hearted fool."

Zokar gave no impression of being offended. "I am not being soft hearted, I am being practical. In the first place if what you yourself said is true then whoever we replace the governor with will also be corrupt and may be more intelligent the he is. The man is a coward and after we are done with him he will not dare try these schemes of his again.

"In the second place the irrigation system I mentioned will be built and maintained by Fire Nation engineers. If the locals move against us they lose the system and risk a return of drought and famine. Regarding the tax reductions, we tax by percentage; while the percentage we take will be lower the income we tax will be higher so we, in fact, will be collecting more money. Neither will the Treasury suffer during the initial implementation because the governor will be covering the cost from his ill-gotten gains.

"As for the bandits; I have no doubt that they target mainly Fire Nation colonists. This doubtlessly has caused many to see them as freedom fighters and heroes. If, however, we remove that which drove them to banditry and they persist in it they will appear less as heroes than men who have taken a liking to outlaw behavior; especially if their continued activity threatens the people's new prosperity.

"This will also deal with the instigators from the Earth Kingdom. If we do a sweep we will likely capture some of them. But many will be hidden by the population and such a brutal move will provide them with another provocation to harangue the people with. With the course of action I propose, however, we will take the appeal from their words.

"The Earth Kingdom also taxes on a percentage system. With the reduction I intent to implement they will actually be paying less tax than they would be under the Earth King. Oh, the instigators can appeal to patriotism of course, and I am sure that in their hearts the people wish us gone; but let us think in practical terms. They have to know that we will recommence the siege of Ba Sing Se eventually. Wither we take it or not is actually immaterial, the city will be unable to support any uprising they commit.

"In short, they would have to risk the wrath of the Fire Nation alone so that they could be less prosperous and pay more taxes. All for a line of kings who have not once bestirred themselves from their city walls to aid them in more than a century. When looked at it like that I think many will find it more appealing to just stay home and that a master in red is just as acceptable as a master in green.

"So you see, Azula, your solution would have turned this into a hotbed of rebellion, which would have to be suppressed at great expense and loss of life at a time we can ill afford it. I will have turned it into a peaceful province which is, in fact, sending more revenue to the Fire Nation than before and is more under its control with barely any effort. You must learn subtly at times an act of kindness can accomplish more than an act of force."

Azula stared at him. He was far more devious than she had suspected. Yes, she would shield him from Father for now; it seems he had more to teach her than she had thought.

**Author's Notes: Well another one done. What did you all think? I want Zokar to be, not necessarily a good person, but an efficient one. With, one could say, a Machiavellian outlook did I succeed, please let me know. As for Azula I think it would be against her nature to just have her start trusting him too easily please let me know how I did with her as well. Please keep praying for Shawn and all who need it. Bye for now and may Jesus bless you all till next time.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Notes: Hi guys thanks for your reviews. As always I only own Zokar and I haven't made a dime off him.**

_Perfection is a trifle dull. It is not the least of life's ironies that this, which we all aim at, is better not quite achieved. - W. Somerset Maugham_

After Ho-Tao they adopted Azula's idea of randomly appearing at the colonies in no apparent pattern. Also, as she had suggested, they sent men ahead of their arrival; thus when they arrived they usually had a good idea of what was going on in the area. Even when they did not find anything from their agents word of their always seeming to know what was going on had gotten around and they were able to bluff their way through it.

Azula had known that her brother was a good fighter but she had not known how much more he could be. Though with the lecture he had given her and his handling of the situation in Ho-Tao she had begun to get some idea. She watched as he out maneuvered people who had been play games like this for years, in some cases longer than he had been alive. As she watched him she began to see that he was just as apt at politics as she was and that Father had been right, he could indeed maneuver his way to the throne if he so desired.

Azula found her attitude changing toward the Ash Knights as well the more time she spent with them. She had at first dismissed those of non-noble birth as just peasants, good fighters perhaps but that was all. As they continued on their journey, however, she found that they were far more than that. They were intelligent and often offered advice in their meetings.

Zokar did not always take their advice but he always listened to them. Azula had once asked him why he took advice from peasants and he had responded simply that he did not care where the advice came from as long as it was good advice. He had then asked her if she found all the nobles at Court intelligent. When her only response had been a derisive snort and a roll of her eyes he had asked why she had asked the question as she clearly already knew that noble birth did not guaranty intelligence, did she think that non-noble birth exclude it? She had had no answer for that.

After that she had observed them more closely and she found something interesting. They were more than just his subordinates; they gave him a loyalty that went far beyond that. She did not quite understand it. Most people would not call it friendship, she herself was not sure Zokar was capable of such things, but there was something; a kind of bond that was unspoken yet present.

Seeing it she could not help but compare it to her own relationship with Mai and Ty Lee. While Ty Lee had fawned over her and Mai had always been deferential they had never had the kind of bond that Zokar and the Ash Knights had. When she looked at them interacting with one another she found she envied them that bond; though of course she would never have admitted it to anyone.

As for her own relationship with Zokar, she still found it confusing. On the one hand found herself admiring him, the way he always seemed to know what to do and the way nothing ever seemed to bother him. On several occasions, when he had allowed her to handle dealing with the governors, right before or after she made a pronouncement she had found herself surreptitiously looking at him to see if he approved, the small indications that he did filled her with pride.

On the other hand, there were times when he was still utterly alien to her. One such occasion had been a week after they had left Ho-Tao. Zokar had approached her and offered to teach her swordsmanship. At first she had been tempted to refuse, suspecting it to be a mocking reference to her inability to bend, but then she had decided to accept; her bending had still not returned and until it did she needed an alternative way of defending herself.

They had begun lessons in private; a fact for which she was grateful as it soon became apparent that she had a lot to learn. It quickly became apparent that she had natural talent but that did not automatically translate into skill. Still, she was determined that if her brothers could do it she could do it too.

It was at the end of the third lesson when the incident had occurred. Zokar had called an end to the session but Azula had wished to continue as she wished to get a certain form down perfectly. "You will not get it perfectly," Zokar had said; "Nor should you wish to."

"What do you mean?" She had asked angrily, offended that he would suggest that she could not do something perfectly.

"What I mean is that perfection is not something you should strive for. In the first place, perfection is not something imperfect humans can achieve, so attempting to do so will inevitably lead to failure and frustration. In the second place, if one were to achieve perfection it would weaken and destroy them."

"That doesn't make any sense." Azula said her anger now replaced by confusion.

"We grow stronger through struggle, by overcoming obstacles. Take me, for example. People say I am strong, but how did I become so? Through hours and hours of hard training which I forced myself to endure.

"I have heard people say that if I could bend I would be the perfect warrior, but if I could bend then would I still have the drive to succeed and prove all those who slandered me wrong? I do not think I would for if I were perfect I would have no need of it.

"We grow strong because we face obstacles and hardships', overcoming them gives us something to struggle and strive for. Like climbing a mountain, getting to the next rise, overcoming something that blocks our way, humans thrive when faced with challenges and adversity. But if we become perfect, if we reach the top of the mountain, we are lost. There is nothing left to strive for and the only way we can go is down.

"I do not want to become perfect. If I ever became perfect it means that I cannot get any better; that I am at my limit and I have nothing left to strive for. If that ever happens than I fear I would lose my drive and I would atrophy and become weaker, not stronger, by attaining perfection. If I never become perfect then I can always become better."

At first she had thought he was talking nonsense, even now she was not sure if he was right or not. Right or not one thing was sure, he saw the world in a way that no one else to her knowledge did. It made her realize that in his own way he must be as alone as she was. In a way it made her feel closer to him than she ever had.

But she could not allow herself to feel that way. Father had commanded that she find a way to bring him down. If she did not then he would disinherit her and she would lose all she had worked for her entire life.

Things came to a head when they reached the town of Ly-Chow. As their ship approached the harbor they saw fireworks being fired off. Since they very much doubted they were for them Zokar inquired of the pilot who came aboard to guide them in what was going on.

"Word has just come from the capital." The man replied. "All are to make merry to celebrate the marriage of the Fire Lord to Lady Oriole Tsao."

**Author's Notes: Well what did you think? A little plot twist at the end to spice things up. This chapter was a little short I know, the next will be longer. In it Azula makes her decision and we conclude this story arch. Till then please keep praying for Shawn and persecuted Christians everywhere and all who need it. Especially the American pastor Saeed Abedini who was sentenced in Iran to eight years in prison. See you all later and may Jesus bless you all.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Notes: Hello everyone, glad you like the story so far well here we go.**

_Chose you this day who ye will serve…-Joshua 24:15_

Azula once again was practicing her bending, again without success, inwardly she was seething so badly she could barely think straight. Lady Oriole Tsao! It was outrageous! She was what, three years older than herself?! Now she would be required to address her as Mother and treat her as such! Worse, if and when the little twit produced a child Father would undoubtedly name the little runt his heir in her place!

Unless she did something to bring Zokar down; that was clearly the message Father was sending her. She was now on a time limit of the Fire Lord's choosing. If she did not do something by the time Lady Oriole Tsao gave the Fire Lord a child she would be replaced by that child and lose any hope of ever being Fire Lord. If Father disinherited her she would have no claim to the throne; even if the child were to die one Lady Oriole Tsao's family would take its place.

She did not stand a chance. She still did not have her bending, indeed it had gotten worse, and she was no longer even capable of mustering the tiny flame she had before. Without it she stood no chance against Zokar and she knew it. Without it even if she were to somehow bring down her brother Father would find out eventually and would disinherit her on the spot. She heaved a heavy sigh as she saw her chance at the throne fade away.

Would that be so bad? The thought seemed to come from nowhere. Still, once the thought was in her mind she found she could not get rid of it. Would it be so bad, if she lost her claim to the throne?

She thought back over the last few months she had spent with Zokar and the Ash Knights. She thought back to a particular incident. It had been when they had arrived at Ly-Chow. They had learned that the people surrounding country side were being attacked by bands of outlaws, including deserters from the Fire Nation army.

Zokar had immediately set off in pursuit of them. To her surprise he had insisted that Azula joining the hunt. As they had left Ly-Chow he had given her Fire Fang to wield. The outlaws had become careless and were easy to track. They had found them three days after setting out and attacked their camp in the pre-dawn hours. Azula had been at Zokar's side at the head of the charge.

It had been Azula's first actual battle and it had been both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Without her bending she had relied on her new skills with the blade, cutting left and right as they rode through the enemy camp. She had never felt so alive her whole life, but it had not been that which had stuck with her.

During the battle she had seen a spear thrust at Hoong. He had not seen it and would not have been able to move fast enough to block it if he had. Without thinking she had swung Fire Fang in a sweeping arch that had knocked the spear away. Hoong had not noticed and the battle soon swept them apart. Why had she done that? She had never cared about what happened to those that severed her before and she had no answer.

The second event had been after the battle. That night on their way back to the city they had made camp for the night. Before she had always gone off to attempt to firebend but she had been tired and still feeling the lingering effects of euphoria from the battle. She did not want to ruin that with another night of failure. So instead she had joined the Ash Knights around the fire.

They had been a little wary when she had first joined them but then the conversation had gradually resumed. Chen had been regaling them all with a tale about his exploits with one of the more famous courtesans when Azula remembered a joke someone had made about Chen and his exploits and repeated it.

For a moment they all stared at her, then one of the Twins started laughing and soon everyone joined in. They had then begun to share jabs and jokes at one another's expense. When one of them made a crack about her all fell silent again. The Azula who had come from palace would have erupted in rage at the offender but the Azula who had traveled and fought alongside Zokar and his Ash Knights found the joke funny and laughed, much to the joker's relief.

That had become their regular routine and she found herself enjoying herself more than she ever had before. If and when Father discovered her bending was gone he would disinherit her regardless of wither she took down Zokar or not. Was she really prepared to throw away all this for a crown she would lose anyway?

She shook her head angrily. What was she thinking? She was Azula, the heir to the Fire Nation! She did not need Zokar or anyone else! Depending on other people was a weakness, Father had always said so, it was one of the first lessons he had taught her.

Yes, said the voice, he taught you to depend on no one, but that wasn't entirely true. He taught you to be dependent on him. He did not want you to be independent; he wanted you to be dependent on him and no one else as a means to control her. He wanted to be able to use your abilities without having to worry about you turning on him, either alone or with the aid of another.

Azula tried to shut the voice out but it persisted. Look at what Ozai was doing, threatening her with replacement if she failed to do as ordered. Did she want that, a lonely life constantly afraid of failing someone who saw her only as a useful tool?

But she had worked her whole life for this, to ascend to the throne. Did she really want to throw it away now? To give up and admit defeat? It went against her very nature.

But what was her nature? To server her father, why? In the last few months Zokar had been more of a father to her than Ozai had ever been. But was she really going to throw away all she had worked for sentiment? Sentiment was for the foolish and the weak, Father may never have shown affection without her first earning it but he had…

He had made her a pawn, he had played her the way she had played others and she hadn't seen it. The more she thought about it the more sense it made. He had seen her flaws, her lack of emotional control, her need to dominate, her hidden insecurities even her confused feelings about Mother, her need for his approval. He had seen it all and he had used it to control her. He thought her weak and malleable, he must hold her in as much contempt as he did Zuko.

He had trained her yes, like one trained a pet! He had trained her, not to be his heir but to be his minion. He had to have seen the cracks forming inside her just as Zokar had, but he hadn't done anything to correct them. Perhaps this had been his plan all along, to use her until she broke and then replace her, as he seemed to be doing now.

Thinking these thoughts made Azula feel numb; she wanted to deny it but she could not as she felt the one constant in her life fall away. All her life she had wanted to make Father proud. To show him she could be as strong and perfect as he had always wanted her to be. For him to love her, in his own way, as much as Mother loved Zuko, and he had been using her all the time. She felt a tear roll down her cheek.

In an instant she felt her grief replaced by rage. They were all the same! Mother, Father, her 'friends' all of them! They said they cared about her but they all either used her or abandoned her. Even her bending, something she thought she could always count on was gone. Why did everyone always leave her?

At this last thought her eyes drifted over to Fire Fang. Zokar had given that to her. He wasn't like them, any of them. He wasn't like Mother, who claimed she loved her and then called her a monster. He wasn't like her friends, who abandoned her as quickly as they could. And he wasn't like Father, who manipulated her for his own ends.

She did not know why Zokar had helped her; there was no reason to do so. He had stood by her when everyone no one else had. He had seen her weaknesses and instead of using them to control her or take revenge for all she had done to him he had shown her how to become strong. She did not think it was love, she did not think either of them was capable of that emotion, but it was…something. She did not know how to describe it; all she knew was she never wanted to lose it.

She felt her indecision fade away. Father had given her a choice, him or Zokar and she chose Zokar. She knew it would cost her everything and at the moment she did not care. She would not sacrifice this thing, whatever it was, that she had with Zokar to go back to being a manipulated pawn.

She was Azula. Princess of the Fire Nation; and if her only other choice was to be a pawn, then she would be nothing at all.

Her decision made she felt relief. More than that, she felt _**on fire**__._ Recognizing a feeling she had begun to think she would never feel again she took a stance and punched. A column of blue flame shot forth. Near delirious with joy she made another and another one after the other. Perhaps it was just due to the length of time since she had last bent but the flames seemed to burn hotter than they had ever done before.

But there was one last move to perform. Centering herself, she gathered herself and began the movements. Lightning came into being at her movements and at their conclusion she sent up a bolt of lightning which split the sky. As the thunder boomed she laughed, her bending had truly returned.

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone hoped you liked the chapter. How was it? I wanted Azula's decision to be a combination of her having feelings for Zokar and anger over Ozai using her, like I said before not a straight goody-goody thing. Did I do that? If it needs work please let me know. Please keep praying for Shawn, persecuted Christians, Saeed Abedini and everyone else who needs it. Bye for now and may Jesus bless you all.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Notes: Hello everyone. I am glad you're enjoying the story so far. Well here we go time for some good old violence. Nickelodeon owns Avatar the Last Airbender and **_**Henry V**_** belongs to Shakespeare. **

_And gentlemen in England now abed shall think themselves accursed they were not here, and hold their manhood cheap whilst any speaks that fought with us upon Saint Crispin's Day-Henry V _

Zokar sat in his tent reading the reports one of his scouting teams. The inspection had ended and they were now waiting in the last city to be inspected, Ho-Tong, for the army that had been assembled in the Fire Nation to join them. And what an army it was, he thought. He put down the reports and thought about the conversation he had had.

Azula had come to him and informed him that her bending had returned. She also told him how the Fire Lord had planned to destroy him with and inferior army and her own orders to find a way to bring him down. He had thanked her and congratulated her for getting her bending back and had them asked for some privacy to think.

In truth had had already known about the army, Azula was not the only one who could read reports. He had known the Fire Lord would try to bring him down in some way and the army joining him was a logical place to do it. He had anticipated this and had already taken steps to counter it.

Far more pleasing was the fact that Azula had told him all this. He had known already but he had known that she also knew and had been waiting to see if she would tell him. By telling him she showed that she had changed; she wasn't the same person who had dueled with him all those months ago. He knew what going against the Fire Lord would cost her and he knew she knew. He had sought to save her from the path she and the Fire Lord had set her on. Having now done that he could now focus on defeating the enemy, fortunately, he had a plan.

Three days later the army arrived. Zokar, Azula, the Ash Knights, the local governor and a collection of the leading citizens came down to the docks to greet it. As the first ship lowered its gang plank a surprised gasp came from the crowd. The soldiers coming down from the ship were members of the Home Guard, but that was not what surprised people. What surprised them was that all of them were mounted on mongoose-dragons, not just the officers but the entire contingent.

As the soldiers disembarked from the other ships it soon become apparent that all the Home Guard were mounted on mongoose-dragons and the smaller contingent of regulars were mounted on komodo-rhinos .

Another difference was their arms. While the regulars were armed with shields, spears and swords the Home Guard, while still carrying swords, discarded the shields and spears in favor of short bows and large quivers of arrows. Zokar watched them disembark. When he had first seen what he had to work with he had realized that he would never be able to win with such a force, or at least not without losing the bulk of them, using conventional tactics so he had sought to develop new tactics.

He remembered the mounted archer with the Rough Rhinos. While such individuals were rare they were not unheard of, most of them were Yuyan Archers. Using his own resources he had located several of these men retired from active duty and had hired them to train the soldiers of the Home Guard in the art of mounted archery.

Regarding the soldiers of the regular army, he had other plans. As they had already received some training with komodo-rhinos he mounted them on these instead. He had a different role in mind for them.

After giving the troops a day to recover from the rigors of the voyage they set out. Zokar pushed the mounted troops, virtually the entire army, hard leaving the war machines to catch up. They rode south to join General Hong and his army. Zokar was determined to go south as quickly as he could for two reasons. One, he would prefer to link up with General Hong before the coming battle if possible because of the three armies; his, General Hong's and the enemy, his was easily the smallest. Second, if he was forced to battle before he could link up with Hong he wanted to get out of the hilly country that comprised much of the Fire Nation colonies; the flat country of the southern Earth Kingdom would be far more suitable to his plans.

As fast as they moved they were unable to reach Hong. Word came from the scouts that the enemy army had crossed High River and was moving to intercept them. Zokar had received a messenger hawk from Hong informing him that he was coming to reinforce him but Zokar knew that battle would be joined before Hong could arrive.

He summoned his officers for a council of war. In addition to his Ash Knights and Azula there was also General Be Shun, commander of the contingent of regulars, General Fay-Un, the commander of Home Guard contingent and Captain Fang, the same firebender who had been with Zokar on his first campaign.

He informed them of the enemy's movement and showed them the message he had received from General Hong. "Sir," began General Be-Shun; "I do not see how we can defeat this army. The scouts report that the enemy army outnumbers us by more than two to one. They have between forty and fifty thousand men and we have only twenty-three thousand, and only about three thousand of them are regulars." He stopped and shot an abashed look at Fay-Un, who bristled at the implied disrespect.

With a deep breath Fay-Un began to speak. "While I may disagree with my college as to the quality of my men, I agree with him that our chances of victory are slight. Because we are all mounted, might we not simply flank them and link up with General Hong, or at least avoid battle till he arrives?"

Zokar shook his head. "Unfortunately that is not an option, if we were to avoid battle the enemy may just fall back across the river to avoid being caught between us and Hong and we would have to fight our way across and casualties would be terrible." Not to mention that if he failed to give battle the Fire Lord would use it as an excuse to take action against him.

"No, I fear we must give battle. However, I have already considered this might happen and have prepared accordingly. Now listen." He then outlined the plan he had formed.

They listened as he outlined his plan. It was something that no Fire Nation army had ever tried before and flew in the face of standard tactics. Indeed, if any of them had thought about it, the plan seemed like something one of the long-dead airbenders would have thought up. But they were desperate, help was too far away and traditional tactics would not help them here. So they listened intently as he outlined the plan and went into detail about each of their roles in it.

They engaged the enemy two days later, shortly after sunrise. It was near a small village that seemed to have no name and was surrounded by rice paddies for miles around.

The enemy advanced towards the Fire Nation army, their heavy infantry leading the way. The two armies were separated by a line of low hills, the only hills around it seemed. As the enemy drew near Zokar advanced. He led the heavy cavalry over the hills into full view of the enemy.

Traditional Fire Nation tactics called for an aggressive initial thrust to break up the enemy and then overwhelm the fragmented enemy with follow up attacks. The enemy commander, obviously a veteran of a battle or two, must have known this and took Zokar's force to be the initial attack and took immediate action.

The enemy infantry halted their advance and began redeploying. They swiftly formed into an immense square. In the center their ostrich-horse cavalry formed up, in preparation to move to seal up any gap Zokar made. Zokar knew they had to have benders amongst them and had feared that they would bend walls around them. But they did not; apparently they did not have enough of them to form a wall all the way around the large force.

As they formed the square Zokar brought his force to a halt and gave a pre-arranged signal. At the signal two columns, one led by Azula and the other by General Fay-Un, shot out from either side of the hills. They shot towards the square but not all the way to it. Just as they came within bow shot they began to circle the square losing a storm of arrows. While many of the arrows were blocked by the enemy's shields others got through and easily pierced their leather armor.

The enemy responded with their own archers and rocks hurled by benders. But they had difficulty hitting the fast moving riders. Still, the riders where far from experts and more than Zokar had anticipated fell from their saddles. However, most remained uninjured and continued to lose their arrows.

He had anticipated the enemy missiles and had prepared for it. Azula, Captain Fang and the other benders, as well as the few Yuyan archers he had, had been ordered to specifically target the enemy benders and archers and here and there he saw bursts of flame and occasionally a bolt of lightning marked their location on the battlefield. He knew they would not get them all, of course, but it would limit their effectiveness by preventing them from forming groups and massing their fire and bending.

Finally the enemy commander changed his tactics. The square opened up and their cavalry came out and charged the archers, Zokar had been expecting this, it was why he had kept the archers at the edge of range. As soon as he saw the enemy make their move Zokar signaled Azula and Fay-Un. As soon as they heard it they began pulling their troops back. Some were too slow and fell to the enemy troops but most made good their escape.

After he gave the signal Zokar started to advance himself. As they drew closer to the enemy, archers streaming past him, he kicked Night Shadow into a gallop, the heavy cavalry followed suit. They thundered toward the enemy cavalry, whose formation had begun to come apart in their pursuit of the archers.

As they lowered their lances and spears and braced for the impact Zokar felt the savage joy he always did while in battle. He suppressed it and his face remained calm but he could not deny its existence. With a crash the two sides came together. As soon as his lance became imbedded in an opponent Zokar released it and drew Blood Fang.

Around him other combatants whirled about him. Nearby he saw Hoong being charged by two opponents. With a speed that belied his size he swung his hammer left and right striking both of them from their saddles before they could react.

Taking advantage of a brief reprieve Zokar surveyed the battle. Though outnumbered by the enemy his men were holding their own. The enemy had spread out before his charge had hit home, hampering their efforts to bring their numbers to bear. Also, while the ostrich-horses were faster than the kimono- rhinos, the later were better suited for combat. They impaled ostrich-horses on their horns, or knocking them to the ground with their bulk.

Just then an enemy officer pushed through the mass around him and came at Zokar. He was a big man with graying hair and he wielded a great hammer. He brought it down on Zokar's shield with what felt like the force of an avalanche, causing Zokar's arm to go numb. Zokar swung at the man with Blood Fang but the man nocked his blade away with his hammer.

Before the man could strike at him again Zokar brought Night Shadow crashing into the other man's mount. The horse lacked sufficient bulk to knock the other man's mount over; but it brought the two men together, denying the other man room to use his hammer.

Due to his own size and that of his horse Zokar was slightly taller than his opponent. He quickly used this to his advantage. He leaned over, trapping the man's weapon arm to his side. With his left hand he grabbed the back of the man's armor jerked the man back almost off his mount. Pinned there and unable to use his weapon the man could do nothing as Zokar thrust his sword down into the man's throat.

Looking up he saw that the enemy was breaking off and fleeing back to their square. Not wanting to repeat their mistake, Zokar called a halt preventing their pursuit. Instead he signaled for his contingent to reform and for the archers to resume their attack.

Without fear of the enemy cavalry they were able to get in much closer. This, combined with the fact that in their eagerness to regain the safety of the square the enemy cavalry tried to force their way into the square rather than waiting for it to open, caused them and the infantry to get tangled up in themselves causing gaps in the shield wall to form, resulted in enemy casualties mounting rapidly.

Finally, the enemy had enough. Zokar did not see the first enemy to break, all he saw that one second the square was wavering and the next men were streaming away from it as it fragmented. Here and there small knots of men held together but most were in flight, throwing away their weapons to hasten their flight. The mounted archers cheered and gave chase while Zokar directed his men toward the final knots of enemy resistance.

They would not get them all, Zokar knew this. There were just too many of them. They would get many of them, he was sure thousands more would die, but thousands would make good there escape. It did not matter, they were broken, and it would be some time before anyone would be able to return them to anything other than a frightened mob and long before that Hong and his army would be here. They would have no choice but to take refuge in Ba Sing Se or some other fortifications, assuming they could cross High River. Either way the siege could now recommence. Those were thoughts for later; however, for now Zokar raised his sword and spurred his horse forward, his men right behind him.

**Author's Notes: Hi everyone, I hoped you liked it. I based the battle and his tactics off of the Parthian victory over the Roman general Crassus at the battle of Carrhae. Will try to write again soon, in the next chapter the Avatar will finally make his appearance and we will beging to see why Zokar wishes to break the cycle. ****Please keep praying for Shawn, persecuted Christians, Saeed Abedini and everyone else who needs it. Bye for now and may Jesus bless you all.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Notes: Hello everyone, glad you liked the last couple of chapters. As always Nickelodeon owns Avatar the Last Airbender and Stephen R. Lawhead owns **_**Hood.**_

_When heaven joins the battle against you, who could stand-Hood _

Zokar strode through the halls of the royal palace, Azula walked behind him, as they walked he thought back over the last few weeks. The summons to return to the Fire Nation had come barely two weeks after the battle. The speed with which the message had reached them, and the command in the message that they make all haste to return, boded ill.

The battle had ended much as Zokar had anticipated it would. When the enemy had broken they had fled towards the safety of High River, Azula and General Fay-Un in hot pursuit. After dealing with the enemy holdouts Zokar had also followed, though he kept his force together and went at a slower pace. The enemy had a good start and komodo-rhinos were not built for speed, he followed rather to aid Azula and Fay-Un in case the enemy should reform.

In the end they had not and Zokar's force had killed hundreds, if not thousands, more before darkness had forced and end to the chase. The next day the weather turned foul, with heavy rains and winds which further hampered their pursuit of the foe. By the time they caught up with them the enemy had reached the village of High Ford, where they had originally crossed, and where in the process of evacuating back across the river, delaying only long enough to destroy all the boats they were not using.

From the interrogation of captured prisoners they learned that the enemy army had originally numbered over sixty thousand men. Though hard numbers were difficult to obtain; Zokar estimated that only about eight thousand of the enemy made it back across High River, the rest being killed, captured or simply vanished into the country side.

As the army rested from their rigorous chase Zokar called a council of war. There the question was raised as to wither or not to continue the pursuit across the river. Azula urged that they cross the river and attack at once. They now outnumbered the enemy three to one and the enemy was still little more than a disorganized mob, if they struck immediately the enemy would be completely crushed.

In this she had the support of General Fay-Un and the Twins. Fay-Un was exhilarated that it had been his Home Guard who had played the pivotal role in the battle not the regulars, who often looked down on members of the Home Guard as being inferior to them. He was also an ambitious man and knew being credited with a second victory would greatly enhance his career. The Twins supported the idea because they were chaffing at having played only a support role in the battle and were eager for second battles were they could play a more central role.

The idea was opposed by General Be Shun and Chen. To attempt to pursue, they claimed would be folly. Be Shun argued that while they did now enjoy a numerical advantage over the enemy the situation was drastically different. In the previous battle they had fought mounted and had had unlimited maneuverability. Here battle would be an amphibious assault across a river which was both wide and deep, the advantages they had enjoyed before would not be present here; plus, they would be fighting on foot this time and the lightly armored Home Guard would suffer tremendous loses.

Chen, the son of an admiral, concurred. Most of their soldiers, he argued, had no experience in handling boats, let alone assaulting across a river, doubtless while under enemy fire. They would probably lose many just getting across. Plus if the weather remained poor, as it appeared it would, they might lose their whole army just from the weather while trying to cross without the enemy having to do anything at all.

Hoong and Lǎoshǔ had said nothing. While skilled fighters they did not consider themselves strategists and were sure that the opinions of two commoners would not be welcomed. Captain Fang was not present. He had been wounded during the battle and was still too weak to leave his bed.

In the end Zokar had sided with Chen and General Be Shun. So they waited for General Hong to arrive. His arrival was delayed for nearly a week due to poor weather. Only two days after the battle, before Hong arrived, the messenger hawk had arrived from the Fire Nation ordering Zokar and Azula to return home.

Upon their return they had been welcomed by a large crowd so their arrival turned into an impromptu victory parade. Azula had basked in the cheers of the crowd, though she tried to hide it behind a mask of regal dignity. Zokar had regarded the crowd with his usual blank expression, not quite sure how else to deal with this sudden surge in his popularity.

The welcome had not, it seemed, been extended to the palace. They were instructed to rest and await the Fire Lord's summons, they waited three days. At last the summons had come this morning.

Zokar brought his mind back to the present as they entered the throne room. It seemed just the same as always. The same courtiers, the same throne and the Fire Lord behind his walls of flames looking down on them, it was just as he remembered it.

Azula, while keeping face immobile moved her eyes from side to side. Everything seemed so different than from when she had left with Zokar. She had always considered herself above those who comprised the court but now she found she felt contempt for many of them. Many of them had never seen a battlefield or shed any of their blood for the advancement of the Fire Nation.

Even Father seemed smaller. He still intimidated her and made her miss the comforting weight of Fire Fang at her side. But he no longer filled her with the awe that he had before. When she looked up at him he seemed less like an all-powerful monarch and more like a manipulative man terrified of losing power and seeing threats where the was none; and those who made up the court were the same.

They depended on their wealth and family connections to protect them and advance their fortunes. She had been like them once and the thought filled her with disgust. They were so small and petty, scheming to embarrass each other at the next banquet or party while others fought for them and the Fire Nation.

Some here she knew had been among those who had turned on her when she had been in disgrace now since her return to grace they rushed to regain her favor. She had known that they would of course, it was how the game was played, but still it annoyed her. She was now a warrior, one blooded in battle, and these courtiers and there games seemed meaningless.

They were not of course and she knew that as well. For the moment she was safe, relatively, from Father's wrath. He could not publically move against her after they had won a great victory. But past successes soon faded from memory. If she wanted to keep herself, as well as Zokar, safe she needed to ensure that they accomplished something that would not fade from memory.

With this in mind she had been busy among the members of the court. She had past among them; calling in old favors, promising new ones, threatening to reveal hidden secrets and more. All to garner the support that she would need to give Zokar that opportunity to do just that. Indeed, there was only such feat left; command of the army that would resume the siege of Ba Sing Se.

The drill would be ready in less than a year and with the way now open there was nothing to prevent the siege from recommencing; with the drill there was no way the walls could hold them out and whoever was in command would become immortal as the one who claimed the prize that had eluded the Fire Nation for nearly a century. She just had to ensure that that commander was Zokar. With him in command, and herself at his side, she could secure her position as heir and Zokar's reputation as the greatest general in Fire Nation history would be ensured, as would his safety from Father's displeasure.

At last they reached the throne and bowed. Zokar looked up at the throne and stared at the flames that surrounded the throne. The Fire Lord remained silent for several seconds, clearly a pause for dramatic effect, and then he began to speak.

"I rejoice to learn of your efforts in the colonies. You have rooted out corruption and restored order to the territories. Your efforts have been of great value to our nation General Zokar."

"I thank you my lord." Zokar said simply.

"However," Ozai said, not bother to acknowledge Zokar's words; "I am rather disturbed by the reports I have received regarding the battle."

"My lord?" Zokar asked, making sure to keep his voice neutral.

"According to the reports we received from General Fay-Un your performance in the battle was less than exemplary. Indeed, it seems from the reports that we received you yourself hung back from the majority of the battle, only intervening near the end of the battle, leaving Princess Azula and General Fay-Un to do the majority of the battle. After the battle you mounted a half-hearted pursuit and refused to cross High River and engage the remnants of the enemy army, even though you were advised to do so and outnumbered them nearly three to one."

Zokar felt an uncharacteristic surge of anger as the Fire Lord spoke, while behind him he heard Azula gasp. In fact much of the anger was not directed at either the Fire Lord or Fay-Un but at himself. How had he missed this? He had known about Azula and yet he had not even suspected Fay-Un, he had underestimated the Fire Lord, a bad mistake.

Though inwardly he raged outwardly his face remained expressionless. He forced the emotions down and calm to return. Emotions solved nothing; he had to remain calm and clear if he were to repair the damage that had been done.

"My lord…" he began but got no further as the Fire Lord dropped the flames around him and raised a hand, silencing him.

"I do not suspect you of any wrong doing, of course, you are a member of the royal family and no member of the royal family would ever be lax in the execution of their duties. Your efforts in dealing with corruption and mismanagement in the colonies prove that. As for the battle, I rather blame myself. Clearly I returned you to battle before the wounds you received in your duel had completely healed, which, as can be seen from the reports, effected your performance and judgment.

"In view of this, I have come up with a plan to ensure your health and make best use of your abilities. I am relieving you of your field command and granting you ownership of the Dragon Fire estate. You shall retire there for a month and rest. Afterwards you shall return to the capital and take up your new duties; as commander of the Home Guard."

As the court buzzed with this news Zokar kept his gaze straight ahead. _Well played, well played indeed;_ he thought. Yes, he had been played quite well; the Fire Lord had really done it this time.

The Dragon Fire estate, so named for the number of fire lilies that grew there, was a princely gift. It was a large estate with a mansion and several hundred acres of beach, fields, forests and mountains. It was commonly used by the royal family as a vacation home and hunting retreat. It, combined with his royal allowance and income from his businesses and investments, meant that he would be able to live in the highest style and comfort for the rest of his life.

By giving him command of the Home Guard he was now charged with planning and organizing the defenses of the Fire Nation from both rebellion and invasion. He would also be charged with the enforcement of the county's laws. Indeed, the commander of the Home Guard always received the title of Guardian of the Nation.

But neither was meant as a rewards and everyone here knew it. By sending him to Dragon Fire, several days away from the capital, the Fire Lord was ensuring he would quickly fade from the public eye. While ensuring that Azula and Fay-Un got all, or most, glory for the battle.

As for his new command that was a joke. The Fire Nation had not been invaded in more than a century and did not look to be invaded for another century. To the regular military the Home Guard was made up of those either too young or too old or those trying to get the benefits of military service without having to actually serve in the real military, which meant they probably couldn't hack it.

Command of the Home Guard was usually given to an older officer as a cushy final post before he retired. They were not even invited to strategy meetings. It was a dead-end post, a comfortable dead-end post, but still a dead-end post. He had gone from commanding an army to being the nation's chief thief-catcher, and everyone here knew it.

They were soon dismissed and he returned to his quarters. The Ash Knights were present, as was Azula. They all knew what had transpired and were more than a little upset about it. He cut their protests short with a raised hand and retired to his private rooms for about twenty minutes. When he returned he had a number of scrolls with him. He indicated for them to sit and Tala poured them drinks. After they all had their drinks he began to speak.

"You have all heard what has transpired so I need not repeat it."

"My lord," Chan said; "Surely there is something that can be done."

Zokar shook his head. "No, not at present, the Fire Lord has spoken and his word is law. At present, the only reason I would be returned to the front was if some disaster occurred there, and I would not have that just to save my pride and career. No, for now there is nothing I can do for myself, but you," he turned to look at each of his knights in turn; "There is."

He brought forth the scrolls he had brought with him. He gave one to each of them and then a second to Hoong and Lǎoshǔ. "These," he said, indicating the second scrolls he had given Hoong and Lǎoshǔ; "Are titles of nobility. While I fear they have no lands attached to them it is my right, as a member of the royal family, to elevate you to the nobility as a reward for your loyal service. Congratulations; Lords Hoong and Lǎoshǔ.

"The rest of them are recommendations from me to the other commanders in the field. With these you can doubtless join any commander you wish. I do not doubt in time each of you will be able to gain commands of your own."

"You are sending us away?!" Lǎoshǔ cried in shock, and the others looked the way he sounded.

"I know each of you would rather go with me. But that would be a waste of all of your talents and I would not have that; so I am granting you leave from my service. Remember, however, that this is only leave. If and when I am again sent to the front I shall recall you."

They all sat in silence for a time and then Chen forced a smile. "Well, I suppose it would be a trifle overkill." At everyone's curious looks he continued, his voice taking on a dramatic tone. "Well, just picture it. Us, swords held aloft, bellowing our war cry at the top of our lungs as we rode at full speed," and here his voice took on a rueful tone; "In pursuit of a couple of truant students."

For a moment the others just stared at him. Then the Twins began to chortle, then to laugh out loud. Soon they were all laughing so hard tears ran down their cheeks.

He dismissed them shortly afterwards to enjoy the celebrations in the city and to begin making preparations for their departure. Though they all tried to remain solemn they all had looks that combined sadness and anger and they all looked to be on the verge of tears. After they had gone there only Azula remained.

"Zokar…" she began, but Zokar cut her off.

"I know; you had nothing to do with this. We both underestimated Fay-Un."

"He'll regret this!" Azula spat. "I'll make sure of that!"

"I don't doubt it." Zokar said dryly.

"This isn't over." Azula said. "I'll not see one of the best generals in the Fire Nation cashing students. This is politics, my field of expertise. You just leave this to me. I'll get you reassigned, and make Fay-Un rue the day he messed with the royal family." This last being said in a low hiss.

"I thank you but urge you not to do anything that might endanger your newly regained standing."

"As if I would be that careless." She snorted. "Besides, this isn't just about you." This last being said in a low, strange tone of voice.

As she left to return to her rooms she paused at the door and turned back. "Zokar," she paused as if unsure of what to say, finally settling for; "Thank you." And then she was gone.

As Azula headed for her rooms she seethed internally. How dare that little spider-rat Fay-Un do this! It was not just the way he had stabbed Zokar in the back, by attacking a member of the royal family he was showing a lack of respect for all of its members. When she was done with him he would know not to make that mistake again. Still, she had to calm down, she told herself. She had told Zokar she would fix this and she would.

Father had to know that Fay-Un's report was a distortion of the truth. He was just using it as an excuse to get rid of Zokar. Which meant he probably did not look too kindly on her just now for her failing to act to bring Zokar down as ordered, though it appeared as though he was willing to overlook that for the moment, she could not be sure how firm her standing was right now.

She would not be surprised to learn it still wasn't very firm. She was sure that he suspected she was in collusion with Zokar. Though she wasn't sure if Zokar thought of it she was sure Father was deliberately separating them to keep them from working together, as commander of the Home Guard he would be expected to spend a great deal of time traveling about the country inspecting Home Guard units and fortifications, though she was sure most of them had fallen into ruin a long time ago.

Still, before she could act she had to know where she stood with Father. So she was pleased to learn, upon reaching her rooms, that she was commanded to join the Fire Lord for dinner that night. At the appointed time so went to Father's quarters. To her surprise she found that places had been set for three.

When the Fire Lord appeared he was escorted by his new wife, Fire Lady Oriole. She was of medium height; it annoyed Azula that the other girl was taller than her, with the black hair, pale skin and golden eyes typical of the Fire Nation population. Though she wore her hair in an elaborate fashion and wore the royal robes and jewelry she looked more like a little girl playing grown up.

Though she was obviously trying to carry herself with the regal bearing expected of a member of the royal family she could not quite pull it off. Partially it was due to her obvious unease and partially due to the fact she was undergoing a growth spurt. This resulted in her having a rather gangly figure which hindered her efforts to move with the expected air of regal dignity.

Though Azula knew Oriole was herself a firebender she did not carry herself as one. Indeed the girl seemed to be highly nervous. She obviously knew Azula's reputation and clearly feared her. The old Azula would have been thrilled by this and actively encouraged it. Now such things seemed petty and demining to her, she had more important things to worry about.

Ozai indicated Oriole with a fake smile. "May I present your new mother, Fire Lady Oriole of the Tsao family. Lady Oriole, meet your daughter, and my heir, Princess Azula."

Azula nearly growled in anger. She had hated doing this with her own mother, it was doubly worse doing it with this slip of a girl; but she had to do it. Reminding herself that she had more important battles to fight; she came forward and bowed. "I greet you, Mother."

Perhaps sensing the barely hidden hostility in Azula's words Oriole started slightly and her hands started to come up to cover her stomach, which Azula now saw was just beginning to swell with pregnancy. Ozai saw the movement as well and gave her a look that caused her to cringe slightly.

Gathering her courage Oriole drew herself to her full height and placed her hands in her sleeves and nodded in acknowledgement of Azula's bow. "I greet you as well, Daughter, and I rejoice at your safe return." She did well, her voice didn't tremble and she managed to keep most of the fear she was clearly experiencing out of her voice.

The dinner past slowly and was clearly painful for most of those there. Azula clearly saw what was going on, Father was showing her that he did not need her anymore and would disregard her in an instant if she crossed him again. Oriole was clearly terrified of both her husband and her stepdaughter, flinching and cringing whenever one of them spoke to her.

While Ozai was clearly annoyed by this it also seemed to give him a perverse pleasure and he seemed to make a habit turning the conversation to topics that made her uneasy. Watching him Azula felt disgust, such petty cruelty was unseemly, Zokar said so and she agreed with him now, it made Father seem more like a school bully than a Fire Lord. That she had been the same way disgusted and embarrassed her. All this, when combined with the knowledge that Father was still treating her like a pawn, to be used and manipulated at his whim, further angered her and made the evening seem to go even slower.

Three days later Zokar arrived at Dragon Fire. Looking down from the ridge of hills they had just crested he surveyed the estate that was now his. It was a large affair, originally a coastal defense fort, over time, as the need for such defenses declined, the royal family took it and altered it into the small palace it was now. Indeed, the only truly military thing left was the high wall.

The whole affair was situated on a hill overlooking the beach. Behind Zokar the hills gave way to wide grassy planes where the fire lilies that gave the estate its name grew. Further back were great forests that teamed with game animals and rising in the distance, mountains.

"Master! Look at the water!" Tala exclaimed excitedly as she stared at the crystal clear water below. Instantly she seemed to realize what she had done as she fell silent and looked at him nervously. He merely nodded in acknowledgement.

Tala, though she said nothing aloud, was the only one clearly pleased with this turn of events. In the capital she was always terrified by all the officials and officers who interacted with Zokar. She knew that they would not harm her, they would not anger Zokar by touching or even insulting what they believed to be his concubine. Still, their contemptuous looks was enough to make her think for a moment that Zhao still had her and all the old terror would return.

Woo and the other servants accepted her presence and they no longer filled her with fear. Indeed Woo had become far more courteous to her since she had healed his nephew. As for Zokar; he still made her uneasy, as he seemed to do to everyone. Still, he had kept his word and had never molested her and allowed her to use her bending again. Looking at the ocean, the chance to immerse herself completely in her element, with only her master and fellow servants around her, she saw this as being as close to complete freedom as she would ever be.

The month passed slowly for Zokar. He did not like prolonged periods of inactivity and forced inactivity was even worse. Still, he found ways to keep himself occupied; every day he trained for several hours in the morning. After lunch he would take Night Shadow over the plains. The horse loved to run and Zokar enjoyed the rush of wind on his face as they galloped hither thither and yon across the estate.

In the evenings he would often dine with members of the local gentry. Some came to solicit for favors and some came out of neighborly courtesy. He spent his nights reading in the library. Tala, naturally, loved the water. She went swimming daily, both day and night. As he watched her, at times raising herself ten or more feet into the air on a column of water, Zokar found she was actually quite a strong bender. What was more, while she swam all the fear seemed to leave her. It gave Zokar quite satisfaction to see her spirits return.

At the end of the month Zokar returned to capital to take up his duties as commander of the Home Guard. He did not remain there for long, just long enough to get the general feel for his new duties. He decided to go on an inspection tour of the various Home Guard units and the fortifications under their care.

The tour was most aggravating. While the units he inspected were diligent enough in their regular duties, mainly concerned with enforcing law and maintaining order, they had let some of their other duties slide. Many of the fortifications erected to repel foreign invasion had been allowed to fall into disrepair, some beyond salvaging. Zokar sent several requests to the capital for the necessary funding to repair or replace the damages; all had been answered by letters from the Ministry of War stating that the money was needed for the regular military for operations in the Earth Kingdom.

More satisfying were the letters he received from Azula and the Ash Knights. The Twins had rejoined their father and now each of them commanded a contingent of cavalry in his army. Chen had joined his brother and commanded the marine contingent in his brother's fleet. Hoong was stationed in the capital with the capital defense force. Lǎoshǔ had been given command of a contingent in the colonies charged with dealing with bandits who were attempting to take advantage of the army moving on.

The letters from Azula dealt mainly with the goings on at court. Though she never actually said it he knew she was attempting to get him reassigned. Zokar understood her desire for subterfuge, her letters always showed signs of being opened and then reclosed.

Several months passed and Zokar fell into a routine, he spent most of his time at his estate, coming to the capital only when necessary, knowing he was still unwelcome there. When not at his estate he would be travelling on inspections. He had found a number of Home Guard who had gotten complacent and was determined to cure them of this attitude by randomly appearing and making their lives most uncomfortable if he found them still slack in their duties. His fifteenth birthday came and went unmentioned while he was on one such inspection.

Early winter found Zokar at the capital. Since the beginning of the war the Fire Nation had celebrated the deeds of Sozin. He waited in the throne room for the Fire Lord to make the traditional speech recounting his ancestor's deed and accomplishments. At the Fire Lord's side sat Azula. Though she maintained an air of royal dignity she had made a barely perceptible nod to him when he first entered. On his left sat Fire Lady Oriole, her pregnancy now clearly visible.

At last the signal was given and all fell silent as the Fire Lord rose to deliver his address the court. Before he could begin to speak, however, there was a disturbance at the entrance to the throne room. A soldier was trying to force his way into the room. "What is the meaning of this!?" The Fire Lord roared angrily, causing the women on either side of him to flinch.

"My lord," the soldier replied breathlessly; "I bear an urgent message from the Fire Sages!" The Fire Lord, who had little time for the sages, waved the man forward impatiently. The man came forward and bowed. "My lord, the message just arrived from the Sages. They report that the Avatar has returned!"

If there was more to the message it went unheard as everyone present began to talk at once. Above it all Azula's mind reeled. The Avatar had returned! The most powerful being in the world, the represented balance in the world, which would doubtless make him or her the enemy of the Fire Nation! This had not been anticipated, it was long believe that the last Avatar died with the Air Nomads at the beginning of the war, and no one seemed to know what to do, Azula certainly didn't.

A frightened gasp came from Oriole. Looking over in annoyance at the other girl Azula saw that her stepmother was looking down into the crowd. Azula followed her gaze and gasped as well. As usual Zokar was standing slightly apart from everyone. What was not usual was his face; his usually blank expression was gone. His face was now a twisted mask of hate and rage.

The rage Azula saw dwarfed anything she had ever seen on Father's face. His eyes were twin pools of hate so intense that she shuddered and quickly looked away from them, unable to meet their gaze. His lips were pulled back in a snarl that bared his teeth. His nostrils flared and his breath came in rapid bursts. In his hand his glass crumpled as he crushed it in his rage. He suddenly turned and stormed from the room, those around him pulled back in terror as he stormed out.

**Author's Notes: Well that's done, what did you'll think? In the next chapter his reasons for opposing the Avatar will be stated, as well as his opinion of Zuko. ****. ****Please keep praying for Shawn, persecuted Christians, Saeed Abedini and everyone else who needs it, including Amir Hekmati, an American in poor health being held in Iran. Bye for now and may Jesus bless you all.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Notes: Hello everyone, as always I own nothing. Here it is what you all have been waiting for, Zokar's motivation to break the avatar cycle, it might help if, before or during your reading of it you listen to **_**Pet**_** by the band Perfect Circle.**

_There is no present or future, only the past, happening over and over again…-Eugene O'Neill_

The news of the Avatar's return had the whole court buzzing. Everyone was speculating about what the implications were for the Fire Nation and the war they waged. Some dismissed the return as being of little consequence; no matter how strong a bender the Avatar was just one person after all, a person who for whatever reason had not challenged them in a hundred years. Many were not so sanguine about it. The Avatar was just one person but one who wielded great influence.

Recent events had shown them that their empire was not as secure as they had believed; in dark corners officers and nobles whispered that if the newly returned Avatar could inspire more such uprisings than the military, which was already stretched thin in numerous places, would not be able to hold. And in other corners some whispered that the Avatar's return heralded punishment on the Fire Nation from the spirits.

In all of these groups a question hung in the air, what of Zuko? For years people had believed his hunt for the Avatar a fool's quest and many had half-forgotten the disgraced prince. Now, with the Avatar's return, a confrontation between the two was, it seemed, inevitable. What would be the outcome? Who would triumph?

Zokar had no such doubts, Zuko would be crushed. He had not thought about his brother in some time but he could recall him clearly. As clearly as he recalled that day so long ago; the day his brother failed and showed his weakness to the world.

No, his brother would not defeat the Avatar. In his prime his uncle, the Dragon of the West, might have been able to do so. But not now, his uncle was old, in spirit as well as in body, and no longer had the inner fire needed to emerge victorious from such a battle. No, the Avatar would not be defeated from that quarter.

At the war council, called by the Fire Lord directly after receiving word of the Avatar's return, Zokar had requested permission to recall his Ash Knights and hunt for the Avatar, or at least be in readiness for when the Avatar moved against the Fire Nation, as it was assumed he or she would inevitably do. His request had been refused. He was reminded that he was commander of the Home Guard; until the Avatar came to the Fire Nation itself dealing with him or her was a task for the regular military.

So Zokar remained in the Fire Nation. He moved back from his estate to the capital so that he might receive news faster. He spent his time in the library reading all he could find about the Avatar and what it was capable of. The more he read the more he found the anger inside him growing. Though outwardly his calmness had returned, to the relief of all who had seen it slip, inwardly the rage remained. If anything, it seemed to grow with his reading of the Avatars of the past.

His mood was not improved when they at last began receiving reports of the Avatar. The first was from Commander Zhao and was a detailed report of Zuko's failure to capture the Avatar at the South Pole. The news that his brother had failed did not surprise Zokar, what did was the news that the Avatar was an airbender. On the face of it, it seemed impossible, they had all died a century ago, but then the Avatar returning at all had been dismissed as impossible; Zokar took this news in stride and began reading up on airbending and working on ways to counter it.

Other reports flowed in. As orders had gone out stating garrisons and posts were to report anything that could possibly be connected with the Avatar many of these had more rumors than facts in them. Still, some did prove to be true, usually these were accounts of Zuko's repeated failures to capture the Avatar.

Just as galling where the reports from, or concerning, Zhao. The man was as incompetent as Zokar remembered. While they were always worded so as to ensure no blame came to him Zhao could not escape the fact that his record of failures in hunting the Avatar was as dismal as Zuko's. So it was to Zokar's mystification when Zhao was made an admiral, he had thought one got promoted for succeeding, not failing, in tasks.

When the report came in that Zhao had actually captured the Avatar the whole court breathed a sigh of relief. When, in almost comical fashion, a second message had arrived the next day reporting the Avatar's recuse by some sort of spirit the mood had plummeted. The Fire Lord had been epileptic with rage. He had screamed and raged against Zhao to such an extent all present where sure that had the man been there; the Fire Lord would have personally burnt him to ash. Indeed, when the admiral arrived to present a plan to the Fire Lord many were surprised that he was wasn't incinerated as soon as he entered the throne room.

But many had found Zokar far more terrifying to behold. He neither screamed nor yelled, but such rage was in his eyes that all near him drew back. Of the two many found his cold rage more terrifying than his father's fiery passion.

Azula was perplexed by his behavior. He had always been the calm one, the cool and steady head. This frightened her and it was doing the nation no good, so she decided to confront him about it. She entered his quarters. Except for Zokar himself they were empty, sensing his mood worsening he had sent Tala, Woo and the other servants back to his estate.

He was going over reports from various Home Guard units. _How like Zokar._ Azula thought. _Even when he isn't behaving normally, doesn't let his duty slip._

Hearing her enter he looked up. She was glad to see that he was in a calm mood; his eyes did not reflect the rage that had often flickered there of late. He put down his writing brush and looked up at her.

"To what do I owe the honor of your visit?"

She took a deep, slightly nervous, breath. "I would like to speak to you; about the Avatar." She watched as his eyes grew cold at the word and forced herself to continue. "Ever since we received word of his return you have not been yourself. I know he is the greatest enemy the Fire Nation faces, but we cannot have you losing your cool head. As your future monarch I need you now more than ever."

For a short while he just stared at her with his distant gaze, and then he stood. Normally he was not one to speak of how he felt, but times were not normal. He also had noticed he was losing control, just as he had back in his first battle and he could not have that, perhaps verbalizing what had been occupying his thoughts would help him regain control.

He poured wine for himself and Azula, gathered himself and began to speak. "Just now you called the Avatar the enemy of the Fire Nation; that is true but you did not go far enough. In truth, the Avatar is the enemy of all life."

As Azula stared at him nonplussed he continued. "Tell me, Sister, what is the duty of the Avatar?"

She stared at him, not having a clue where this was going. Still, she remembered what she could of the old teachings, which wasn't very much, and finally hazarded; "To maintain the balance?"

"Exactly; to maintain the balance, that is the duty of the Avatar. Just like that song Uncle used to sing, the one about the seasons. They said that as long as the balance is maintained we have peace and harmony, some have likened it to a peaceful river gently flowing along its course" here he paused for a moment and then continued; "But that is not what I see."

"What do you see?"

"Stagnation," he paused for a moment and then continued. "I see, not a flowing river but a stagnant pond. One that will eventually fill with weeds till all life is chocked out.

"It is human nature to seek to advance, change and improve, as I told you while I taught you swordplay. We improve through struggle, by setting goals and overcoming the obstacles to reach those goals and we grow stronger because of it. But the Avatar would deny that to us.

"The Avatar would create a world where such things do not happen. A world trapped in an endless cycle where there is no struggle and where nothing changes. Where there is no new growth, no new life, no new…anything. Just what has come before, repeating itself over and over again."

"In preserving the balance the Avatar claimed to protect us, and in a way it did. The same way a parent protects a child by never letting it leave the house. The Avatar throughout human history has kept mankind in a perpetual state of infantilism. Our ancestors depended on the Avatar to take care of them and rescue them from everything from; forces of nature to their own stupidity. And the Avatar would keep us this way forever. It would see us never grow or change; for us to remain as children and it as our parent, all in the name of preserving balance and harmony."

Here he gave a derisive snort. "Do you know what the real joke in all this is Azula?" She shook her head. "The joke is the balance and harmony the Avatar seeks to maintain doesn't, and has never, existed.

"Did we suddenly become violent a hundred years ago? No, humans have always been savage, greedy, violent and rapacious and more. Willing to cut one another's throats for what others possess. The reason, the only reason, there was predominantly peace for so long was because the Avatar forced us to have peace. The nations did not go to war, not out of a desire for peace, but because they knew that if they went to war the Avatar would come down on them like the wrath of the gods. One could argue that by forcing us into a false peace the Avatar ensured that the opposite would occur; and that it would be the more terrible for it."

He paused and cocked his head to one side as if in thought. "This leads to another question. Why what we, as a nation, are doing is considered wrong? I had my doubts, many in fact, when I was younger about what we are doing. But now I am not so sure. Think about it; the Avatar says it wants peace, we say we want peace. The Avatar used violence against those who threaten peace; and we use violence against those who threaten the peace we have imposed.

"So why is it morally acceptable for the Avatar to do it and not us? What gives the Avatar the right to order the world to suit its purposes and not us? Is it a god? No it is not. Is it a being which we asked to care for and protect us? No it is not. What it is it then? It is the most powerful bender on earth. In the end people consented to its wishes because there was nothing and no one strong enough to tell the Avatar no. And if that is true than we must accept that might truly does make right and there is no higher moral truth than that. And if that is so, then we are wholly justified in what we do; as the Avatar, through its own actions, has justified them."

Azula was not sure what to say. By nature she did not much care one way or another about such things. But this seemed to contradict what she remembered hearing about the Avatar. "You make the Avatar sound like a monster."

Zokar pondered that for a moment. "I suppose I do and in a way it is. The tragic thing is it doesn't mean to be. The Avatar has two problems. The first is that it is a spirit and cannot fully understand humans. It was created for a purpose and it cannot do otherwise so it cannot truly understand beings that are not bound as it is, we are simply too different. The second problem is that the Avatar's duty is to the world itself, not to the people who inhabit it. It is here to maintain the balance, humans and their needs and desires are its concern only as far as they affect the balance.

Here his eyes filled with anger and his voice became cold. "That is why I despise the Avatar; it is a liar and a hypocrite. It may claim to care for humanity but it doesn't. Its duty is to the balance not us. The balance it serves requires that all nations and people be equal. So if it does succeed in defeating us and freeing the Earth Kingdom it will not do so because what we did was wrong or out of compassion for its people. It will do so only because the balance requires it.

"It doesn't see us as living, thinking beings. It sees us as merely another element in the equation for maintaining harmony within the world. The Avatar sees all people are as it is, having their place and role, and they must remain there wither they would or no for to do otherwise would disrupt the balance. As I said it would have us stay children forever, because children obey their parents and remain in their place; or at least are incapable of doing otherwise effectively.

"Earlier I likened the world dominated by the Avatar to a stagnant pond. It could also be compared to a wheel that, though it spins and spins, it goes nowhere. And we, the people of the world, each have our place on it and we must remain there, unable to change or grow, or be crushed by it. Because it sees the world it controls, one supposedly in balance and harmony, as perfect. It is incapable of seeing it any other way; and humanity, left to its own devices, is a threat to that perfection."

Here he smiled without humor. "There will be no future for the Fire Nation if the Avatar wins. There will be no future for anyone. That which they thing will save them will doom them."

**Author's Notes: Well, there you go. Sorry it took so long, I wanted to get it right, hope it was worth the wait. Did I? Please let me know in the reviews. I wanted to portray Zokar as seeing the Avatar, not as a deliberate monster but as a benevolent tyrant. I also wanted his reasoning not to be way off track so I tried to take the Avatar's mission and give it a sinister bent, I also wanted to emphasize how alone Zokar is by having the very way he sees the world be different from everyone around him. Please keep praying for Shawn, persecuted Christians, Saeed Abedini, an American pastor jailed in Iran; and everyone else who needs it, including Amir Hekmati, an American in poor health also being held in Iran. Bye for now and may Jesus bless you all.**


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